(R a L): Sergio Pérez (MEX) Red Bull Racing; Oscar Piastri (AUS) McLaren; Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams Racing; and Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Sauber, at the FIA Press Conference. May 2, 2024. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 6, Miami Grand Prix, Miami, Florida, USA, Preparation Day.
Formula 1 drivers had divergent opinions about the second Sprint weekend of the 2024 Formula 1 season, which took place immediately after the first one in Shanghai, at the Miami Grand Prix. The fifth stage of the 2024 campaign in China introduced a revised Sprint format, where FP1 was followed by Sprint Qualifying on Friday afternoon. Saturday started with the Sprint race, followed by GP Qualifying in the afternoon and the main race on Sunday.
During the Thursday Press Conference, before the second Sprint of the year at the Miami International Circuit, drivers like Valtteri Bottas, Oscar Piastri, and Sergio Pérez shared their opinions on the new format. Bottas expressed a preference for the old format, where there was only one practice session followed by qualifying for the main race. He liked the higher stakes and the limited opportunity to adjust the car setup.
Piastri, on the other hand, saw the opening of the parc fermé as a positive aspect of the new format. He believed that this was beneficial for the drivers and engineers, although he acknowledged that mechanics might not appreciate it as much. Piastri mentioned incidents from the previous year, where drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified due to incorrect car heights, and emphasized the importance of avoiding such disqualifications.
Cependant, Piastri a également trouvé un peu étrange d’alterner entre le mode de course lors de la Sprint du samedi matin et le mode de qualification plus tard dans la journée. Le pilote local Logan Sargeant a exprimé sa préférence pour 24 week-ends normaux, indiquant qu’il préférerait avoir un format traditionnel tout au long de la saison. Pérez, comprenant les préoccupations de ses mécaniciens, a convenu que l’ouverture du parc fermé impose une charge de travail importante sur eux et a suggéré la nécessité de revoir le format pour garantir le bien-être des personnes impliquées dans le sport.
