SHANGHAI, CHINA – APRIL 18: Max Verstappen from the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing talk with Sergio Perez from Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing in the Paddock during previews of the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit on April 18, 2024 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
In its fourth season since its introduction, Formula 1 is still tinkering with the Sprint Race format and for 2024, there will also be changes that will eliminate the “Sprint Saturday” concept.
In 2023, a Sprint weekend started with FP1 on Friday, followed by qualifying for the Sunday Grand Prix. Saturday consisted of Sprint Qualifying and the Sprint Race.
For this weekend in China, the format will be as follows: FP1 will be followed by Sprint qualifying on Friday, while Saturday’s action will start with the Sprint Race, followed by qualifying for the Grand Prix on Sunday.
Teams are allowed to adjust the setup of their cars after the Sprint Race and before the main qualifying, resulting in two separate parc fermes for this weekend. One after FP1 and another after the main qualifying.
Speaking to the press at the Shanghai International Circuit, including GrandPrix247, Verstappen was asked about the new Sprint format. He stated: “I think it makes more sense. And for me, I think the most frustrating aspect before was that, after FP1, you went into qualifying and if you didn’t, let’s say, nail the setup, you were stuck with it for the rest of the weekend, and that can really harm your weekend. And I think now, at least we have a few more opportunities to try to make it flawless. I think this is better for motorsport in general.”
When asked about the challenges of having the first Sprint weekend of 2024 at a track where F1 last raced in 2019 with different cars, Verstappen replied: “I think with the new cars, this will be a bit unknown. On the track side, it looks like they painted it without repaving,” he noted, referring to the treatment of the asphalt surface the track received, a process commonly used on roads in the United States and Asia.
The Red Bull driver added: “So, I don’t know how this affects the grip of the track, but it’s the same for everyone. We just need to have a good FP1, hopefully, where we don’t need to make many adjustments to the car. This will really help us start well,” Verstappen concluded.
(Reporting by Agnes Carlier from Shanghai)
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