A Formula 1 without free practice? According to Stefano Domenicali, this is conceivable. The Formula 1 series boss recently flirted with the idea of radically restructuring the weekend format of the championship.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has mixed feelings about this: “I’m more on the conservative side. I like qualifying, I like the Grand Prix.” Above all, he appreciates the traditional process of a Grand Prix event.
On the other hand, says Wolff, you also have to be “open to where the sport is developing.” And here it is important to “come to a common denominator as to what is the best principle” for further action.
Why Wolff is open to new things
“I think we all have the same goal. We want to continue to develop the sport and expand its audience,” says Wolff.
For this purpose, Formula 1 has introduced sprint races in the 2021 season, under a modified weekend schedule with qualifying on Friday, the sprint on Saturday and the Grand Prix on Sunday. “And some of the sprint races were fantastic,” says Wolff.
Further format changes are conceivable. Wolff: “Whatever Stefano thinks is good, he will have the numbers on the table, what is good for the spectators and what is good for the Formula 1 brand.”
Wolff wants to preserve certain traditions
However, the Mercedes team boss advocates not shaking the foundations of the racing series, but rather preserving tradition and history. Original sound: “We shouldn’t work on the matter with a baseball bat, but rather with a box cutter, because you can simply work more precisely with it.”
Wolff is also counting on the willingness of those involved to compromise, including when it comes to the question of whether a second qualifying session can be implemented just for the sprint race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and with what weekend schedule.
Because Wolff sees certain hurdles for a change during the racing season: “I don’t think two qualifying sessions are bad per se. But: If we stick with the current format, then we won’t be able to cope with the drive mileage and Pirelli won’t have enough tires either. So we have to find a solution here.”
The current solution is to hold a shortened qualifying session on Saturday instead of the second free practice session. This qualifying would then only be relevant for the sprint race that follows on the same day. But the idea doesn’t convince everyone in the Formula 1 paddock: World champion Max Verstappen, for example, is critical.
2024-04-16 22:17:09
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