An overhaul of Formula 1 sprint races is in the offing potentially as soon as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the end of the month.
There are six sprints scheduled for the 2023 season and team principals met over the course of the weekend at the Australian Grand Prix to discuss a potential revamp with F1 bosses and the sport’s governing body the FIA.
Among the changes being proposed is that at the grands prix where there is a sprint race, practice sessions will be reduced from three down to just one session.
Also mooted is a plan for qualifying to take place on the Friday for Sunday’s main race and Saturday to be entirely put aside for the sprint with qualifying for the shortened race and then the race itself during the course of the day.
No official agreement has been made regarding the discussed changes although the plans are thought to have been generally backed by bosses of the 10 teams currently on the F1 grid.
The FIA will firm up the proposals in the coming weeks with a view to putting them forward to the next F1 Commission meeting on April 25.
If there is approval, any changes could be implemented in Baku at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend just a few days later.
But it could be that F1 bosses decide not to rush the sprint facelift and to instead push for its introduction at the second sprint race on the calendar at the Austrian Grand Prix weekend at the end of June.
Behind the scenes, there are logistics to work on just three weeks before the grid converges on Baku with implications for tyre supplier Pirelli, the grand prix weekend schedule and scrutineering among other things.
