Helmut Marko believes the new format Formula 1 is planning to implement over the weekend of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix the first of six F1 Sprint Race weekends this season is a better solution.
The 2023 F1 season will feature six Sprint race weekends, the first of which takes place at the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend and it was recently revealed that there are changes planned by the sport.
The original F1 Sprint weekend format saw FP2 on Friday replaced by qualifying for the Sprint race on Saturday that takes place after a second practice session, with its results deciding the starting grid of the Grand Prix on Sunday.
However, this year, there is a plan to scrap all practice session but one, with two qualifying sessions planned; one on Friday to decide the Sprint Race starting grid, and another on Saturday morning that decides Sunday’s Grand Prix starting order. FP1 remains on Friday before the first qualifying.
Speaking to the Motorsport network, Red Bull consultant, Dr. Helmut Marko, was asked about the new format for the F1 Sprint Race weekend.
New format an improvement
“We said it last year. This would be a better solution in any case,” he said. “It makes the sprint race more exciting, because you can risk more. In the old situation, if you drop out on Saturday, you are at the back on Sunday. Of course, that doesn’t really help to take risks.”
As for scrapping FP3, the Austrian added: “That session goes nowhere under parc fermé anyway. If you replace that with qualifying, that puts a value on both the complete Saturday and also the sprint race in itself, because you can then return Sunday to simply the order of Friday, I think this is a definite improvement.”
The changes for the F1 Sprint Race weekend format are being proposed for Baku, but the FIA and Formula 1 are yet to give the green light.
Quizzed if that would be sorted ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix; Marko told Sky Deutschland: “I think Liberty Media and the FIA just have to decide this, because F1 teams never come to an agreement anyway.
“This is something I think they should settle over the heads of the teams,” he maintained.
However, Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur recently revealed to the media that the teams have actually agreed on the new format, meaning it is now up to the FIA and Formula 1 to ratify the changes.