Ferrari chief Fred Vasseur says F1 teams agreed on sprint weekend changes

MARANELLO – Formula One’s first sprint weekend of the season in Azerbaijan at the end of April will have a second qualifying session instead of final practice, with Saturday’s 100km race a standalone event, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said.

Teams had agreed to the change, which has yet to be confirmed by the governing FIA, claimed Vasseur.

“(In) Baku, you have the two qualis and the two races and we have to be able as a team to do a better job,” the Frenchman, talking about his team’s poor start to the 2023 campaign, said on a video call.

Previous sprint weekends had a practice session on Friday followed by a qualifying for Saturday’s race. The top eight in that sprint, which set the grid for Sunday’s main grand prix, scored points.

The second practice session sat awkwardly before the sprint race.

Now there will be just one practice followed by a Friday qualifying for Sunday’s race and then another qualifying on Saturday for the sprint, which still awards points but no longer has a direct link to the grand prix.

“For once, I think all the teams were aligned. It’s not very often that it’s the case, so we have to jump on it,” said Vasseur.

“I like the format. I’m not a big fan of the usual FP2 (second practice)... To try to have something more dynamic is a good decision.

“If you watch football, you are not watching the session on Wednesday when they are training in the stadium, and we are probably the only sport where we are putting on TV the training session.”

The other sprint races this season will be in Austria, Belgium, Qatar, Austin and Brazil.

F1 chief executive officer Stefano Domenicali has backed the idea of reducing practice and giving fans more entertainment.

Vasseur also shared that Ferrari have asked F1’s governing body to review a five-second penalty that dropped Spaniard Carlos Sainz from fourth to 12th in last Sunday’s triple red-flagged Australian Grand Prix, with the request submitted on Thursday.

Sainz made contact with compatriot Fernando Alonso after the third standing start at Melbourne’s Albert Park, spinning the Aston Martin around.

Meanwhile, Mercedes will work flat out over F1’s April break to give Lewis Hamilton and George Russell a more balanced car, with improved suspension, technical head James Allison said on Thursday.

Racing resumes in Azerbaijan on April 30.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton, who gave the team a first podium of the season with second place in Australia, has said he does not “feel connected” to the car. Russell has referred to it as a “lame horse”.

“We are working as hard as we can in the wind tunnel to find more downforce,” said Allison in a team debrief.

“We will be working in the drawing office also to bring some mechanical parts to the car, some different suspension components that will help the underlying balance of the car and make it more driveable.” REUTERS, AFP