F1 teams set for crunch talks over sprint races
Formula 1 teams are set for further talks this weekend to try to push on with plans for sprint qualifying trials, with the financial details still to be settled.
As reported by Autosport, a lot of the issues surrounding the idea for three Saturday sprint races have been agreed among teams.
However, one factor that continues to divide them is over the compensation that teams will be offered for the potential extra costs that could come as the result of Saturday sprint races.
One of the biggest concerns is for extra damage that is associated with racing, including the likelihood of more broken front wings due to lap-one incidents.
While it is understood that F1 has offered teams a payment that it thinks will cover any extra costs, some big spending outfits are pushing for much more.
Sources suggest that they want as much as three times the amount on offer – up to around an extra $1 million – with the new cost cap limit also being increased by such an amount.
Such a request does not have universal support, however, and there are fears from some smaller teams that the big hitters will use the extra leeway in the budget cap to fuel performance spending.
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
With no agreement on the matter having been forthcoming, F1 chiefs, including CEO Stefano Domenicali, will hold talks with teams over the Bahrain weekend to try to get everyone on the same page.
If enough progress is made, and consensus is reached among the vast majority of teams, then F1 could choose to put the sprint race proposal to a vote over the next few days.
Should the sprint race plan go ahead, then the idea is for them to be trialled at three races this year – the British, Italian and Brazilian Grands Prix.
Under the plans, a normal qualifying session will take place on the Friday of a grand prix weekend, with a 100km qualifying sprint on Saturday then deciding the grid for Sunday's main event.
The shorter sprint is set to offer a small number of points too, with three on offer for the winner, two for second place and one for third.
Related video
What to expect from F1's rookie trio in 2021
Tsunoda explains early DRS use at Bahrain F1 test
The “solemn promise” that cost quiet hero Brooks an F1 title
After two terrifying crashes, one of the best British racers of the 1950s retired before his career peaked. But that’s why GP Racing’s MAURICE HAMILTON was able to speak to Tony Brooks in 2014. Like his friend Stirling Moss, Brooks was regarded as one of the best drivers never to have won the world championship. Here, as our tribute to Brooks who died last month, is that interview in full
Inside the Faenza facility where AlphaTauri’s F1 pragmatic vision is realised
AlphaTauri’s mission in F1 is to sell clothes and train young drivers rather than win the championship – but you still need a cutting-edge factory to do that. Team boss Franz Tost takes GP Racing’s OLEG KARPOV on a guided tour of a facility that’s continuing to grow
Connecting two of Ferrari's favourite F1 sons
Gilles Villeneuve's exploits behind the wheel of a Ferrari made him a legend to the tifosi, even 40 years after his death. The team's current Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc enjoys a similar status, and recently got behind the wheel of a very special car from the French-Canadian’s career
How a 30cm metal wire triggered open warfare in the F1 paddock
Porpoising has become the key talking point during the 2022 Formula 1 season, as teams battle to come to terms with it. An FIA technical directive ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix and a second stay appearing on the Mercedes cars only served to create a bigger debate and raise tensions further
Does Verstappen have any weaknesses left?
Having extended his Formula 1 points lead with victory in Canada, Max Verstappen has raised his game further following his 2021 title triumph. Even on the days where Red Bull appears to be second best to Ferrari, Verstappen is getting the most out of the car in each race. So, does he have any weaknesses that his title rivals can exploit?
How F1's future fuels can shape the automotive sector
In 2026, Formula 1 plans to make the switch to a fully sustainable fuel, as the greater automotive world considers its own alternative propulsion methods. Biogasoline and e-fuels both have merit as 'drop-in' fuels but, equally, both have their shortcomings...
The breakthrough behind Sainz’s best weekend of F1 2022 so far
OPINION: Carlos Sainz came close to winning in Monaco but needed that race’s specific circumstances for his shot at a maiden Formula 1 victory to appear. Last weekend in Canada, he led the line for Ferrari in Charles Leclerc’s absence from the front. And there’s a key reason why Sainz has turned his 2022 form around
Canadian Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
Plenty of high scores but just a single perfect 10 from the first Montreal race in three years, as Max Verstappen fended off late pressure from Carlos Sainz. Here’s Autosport’s assessment on the Formula 1 drivers from the Canadian Grand Prix