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Formula One has finally given us something to get excited about.
Despite team bosses offering a lukewarm response to feedback generated from fan surveys (conducted via the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association and numerous leading motorsport publications), it appears as though the Formula One Strategy Group has been given a much needed boot in the derriere – if reports from this week’s Strategy Group meeting at Biggin Hill are anything to go by.
The FIA announced at Silverstone on Thursday that substantial changes could be made to the race weekend format for next season, with a statement reading:
“Several exciting and innovative changes to the qualifying and race weekend formats have been discussed.”
FIA president Jean Todt was circumspect about the details, only admitting that the format was “something you can debate”. Todt did, however, offer a leading question: “Should we do a sprint race on Saturday? Why not?”
Falling short of dropping a Ninja smoke bomb and disappearing behind the nearest FIA road safety banner, Todt couldn’t have been any more enigmatic in his response, but sources on the ground at Biggin Hill suggest the proposition is being seriously considered.
Qualifying is set to replace free practice on Saturday morning, with a one-hour race that afternoon to decide the feature race on Sunday.
This format somewhat mirrors the current GP2 weekend package, with Sunday’s second race being determined by the finishing order of race one on Saturday – albeit run for a smaller duration.
While I don’t expect to see scenes akin to the 1993 V8 Supercars Dash for Cash – where drivers literally drew their starting order out of novelty-sized envelopes – the introduction of a second sprint race would be trail-blazing by Formula One entertainment standards and may prove critical in attracting ownership bids from the United States.
Increased flexibility on tyre choice was something the FIA could confirm, with tyre manufacturer Pirelli settling on procedures for next season. In the absence of an all-out tyre war this is a very good decision, as current compounds haven’t played to the strengths of teams like Ferrari – which have a much larger operating window in higher temperatures.
As such, the upset win that Maranello scored against Mercedes in Malaysia has proved an exception to the rule in 2015.
Additional restrictions on driver aids were also discussed at the Strategy Group meeting, with a particular emphasis on race starts. Currently drivers start races with a pre-set clutch position that is determined during a practice start on the warm-up lap. This, however, can’t take into account grip levels a driver may experience during the actual start, effectively stifling any input they might have.
Any ban on automated starting software would create more unpredictability and place the driver’s destiny firmly in their own hands and help snuff out sermons from the ‘race-driver’s book of excuses’ – well to some extent at least.
It’s a move that would be welcomed by recent wunderkind Max Verstappen, who admitted that: “Sometimes I switch of the display in my car! I want to rely on my gut feeling.”
It seems that by trusting their gut might finally be paying off for Formula One.
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