F1's new Sprint Shootout format debuts this weekend with the Baku, Azerbaijan Grand Prix. A modality that will be held in up to six grand prix of the season and with which it is sought that there is a greater spectacle. But what exactly does it consist of?
Until now, on sprint weekends, the drivers competed in classic qualifications, that is, against the clock, on Friday, which defined the starting order of a 100-kilometre race on Saturday. And that, in turn, defined the starting grid for the GP on Sunday.
However, this new format changes the entire weekend. Now, the drivers will only run one free practice session at the weekend, which will be on Friday morning. While on Friday afternoon the classic classification will be run, which will determine the starting grid on Sunday.
For its part, on Saturday it will be the turn of this Sprint Shootout. The practice round is suppressed and this sprint classification is run for the 100-kilometre sprint race that also takes place on Saturday. In this way, the drivers will risk the most because the classification will not have any influence on the race on Sunday.
The Sprint Shootout session will be shorter, with SQ1 at 12 minutes, SQ2 at 10 minutes, and SQ3 at 8 minutes. New tires are mandatory for each qualifying, with the medium for SQ1 and SQ2, and the soft for SQ3. What will not change is the number of pilots: 20 will start, 15 will continue and 10 will finish.
The first eight drivers classified in the F1 sprint races are those who manage to score. They do it in the following way:
As we have said, in this Formula 1 season there will be six grand prix where the Sprint Shootout will take place. These will be:
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
