The format shakeup F1 should trial in 2021

Let's be honest, although the 2020 Formula 1 season had its moments, it was a totally one-sided affair yet again. Bearing in mind the outstanding effort by F1 to get the show on the road, and the relief and delight that any racing was at all possible, it would seem almost churlish to overly criticise the season. Yet in the unlikely event of a minor miracle, we are in for another dose of same this year, over (perhaps) 23 races rather than 17.

Last September, in the wake of Pierre Gasly's Monza miracle, Ross Brawn resurrected the old chestnut of reversed grids, proposed within the context of some experimentation with different formats in the closing races of the season once the championship chase was over. Toto Wolff, likening the idea to WWE or reality shows, killed the debate in its tracks. And many of the drivers voiced opposition too, perhaps conscious of the potential danger aspect.

It's easy to have sympathy with both sides.

Reversed grids, with Saturday qualifying for pole ditched and replaced with a sprint-race to decide the Sunday starting grid, is far too 'WWE' and flies in the face of every F1 precept and its DNA. Many would immediately turn away from such a contrived form of motorsport. Imagine the uproar, even ridicule, if a reversed grid was being proposed for the Indianapolis 500?

Brawn, however, is right to push for an openness to experimentation that could prove helpful in the longer-term evolution of the spectacle that is F1, not just on Saturday and race day, but in raising the razzmatazz and commercial value for Friday too.

PLUS: Why F1's willingness to experiment shouldn't end with 2020

As implied by the call for reversed grids, the uncomfortable truth is that there is an elephant in the paddock and it's called 'the traditional F1 grid', or rather its formation. Placing the fastest car/driver at the front, slowest at the rear, obviously influences the race's outcome. Over seven decades the stats have hardly budged: the chance of victory from pole position is 40%, from the front row 65%.

But that's OK, after all qualifying is an intrinsic F1 preliminary in finding the winner over the GP weekend. It's akin to reaching the Wimbledon semis. Now you know that one of just four players will win the tournament, but it takes nothing away from the anticipation, enjoyment and excitement of 'The Wimbledon Final' itself, and the acclamation of a worthy winner.

F1's battle for pole should be sacrosanct and not sacrificed in the name of the show. Happily, that won't be necessary as there is another way to utilise the existing highly successful qualifying format

Although F1 should not be bound by the 'straightjacket of history', the battle for pole is a time-honoured and frequently intoxicating competition at each grand prix that showcases key facets of the F1 driver: raw speed, risk, nerve, courage, and those rare 'in a daze' or 'out of body' experiences that transcend the norm of human sporting achievement.

In short, F1's battle for pole should be sacrosanct and not sacrificed in the name of the show. Happily, that won't be necessary as there is another way to utilise the existing highly successful qualifying format, and the beauty of it is that it would increase unpredictability and introduce an exciting new competitive dimension.

Welcome to the 'split-grid' qualifying model:

Shootout Friday

Put simply, after normal Q1, Q2, Q3, the faster driver in each two-car team would be allocated the top five rows, P1-P10; the slower drivers P11-P20. This format not only mixes up the grid, it ramps up the tension and excitement for one of F1's most bankable assets, intra-team rivalry.

Essentially quali becomes a mano a mano shootout right the way through the field, the expression 'team-mate' taking on a whole new meaning. 'Shootout Friday' would take place in the afternoon after morning FP1 and make simply unmissable TV as big-name 'team leaders' are occasionally usurped in qualifying with all the repercussions and uncertainty for their championship aspirations.

Qualifying Saturday

But those who lapse have a chance to redeem themselves on Saturday afternoon in a 45-minute sprint race. Ultimately, final grid order for Sunday's GP will be determined by the sprint-race finishing order.

Filled with action and excitement, the sprint race allows drivers from the second half of the split-grid to stake their claim for an improved Sunday starting position. And in order to maximise constructor points for their car towards the back of the split-grid, teams will need to develop versatile racing cars designed to overtake in dirty air, as is the hope from 2022.

Race day Sunday

The two-day build up for Sunday's race will generate diverse grid patterns and put paid to the tedious front-row lockout and Noah's Ark grid line-ups, let alone if three-car teams ever became the norm.

Rogue 'outsider' results will occur in the race far more frequently than from present-day grids, especially in changeable conditions or with safety car interventions, and tyre strategy will become more potent. And finally, even with these added dimensions of unpredictability, the best driver/car combination will likely continue to be rewarded such that a worthy champion will be crowned at the end of each season.

Yet even for this F1 utopia there must surely be downsides?

Will teams search for the unfair advantage? Of course they will, especially when the championship situation favours one of their driver pairings. But any suggestion of lifting, sandbagging or other suspicious behaviour on Shootout Friday would be penalised with loss of points. And with the cost cap now in place, teams needn't be discouraged from producing 'clean air' and 'dirty air' aero packages for either car, but will be stuck with their choice throughout the GP weekend.

Will it alter championship outcomes? Not really, although it might prolong title battles.

PLUS: The crescendo climax F1 rarely enjoys

It just possibly might change things in the case of a team with a dominant car and a closely matched driver pairing. Nico Rosberg in 2016, outqualified for pole 12-8 by Lewis Hamilton, might have had a harder time to wrest that championship. Maybe Alain Prost in 1989, conceding poles 13-2 to Ayrton Senna, might not have won but, if you study that season carefully, it was Prost's consistency and Senna's hit-and-miss campaign that decided the title.

Anything more will come to light when the split-grid model is tested in a live setting. It offers a nicely sequenced three-day build-up of competitive action, and as an alternative to the unpalatable prospect of 'WWE' reversed grids, deserves its place for inclusion in future trials and experimentation of F1 race formats.

Roger Smith's limited edition book, Formula 1 All The Races The First 1000, is widely available, with exclusive numbered copies also accessible here.