Qualifying to be split at Brands Hatch round of F3 European series

At just 1.2 miles in length, the Brands Hatch Indy circuit is the shortest venue on the F3 calendar.

And with 30 cars are expected to enter the event - 12 more than were present at the corresponding F3 Euro Series event there last year - there is the potential for a session with very little clear track at any time.

Championship manager Christoph Hewer told AUTOSPORT: "We've taken the decision for safety reasons mainly.

"Too many drivers on a small circuit and some slowing down and some being very fast could be quite dangerous.

"It's also to allow drivers to have a real qualifying because too many cars on track could mean that people are not able to have clear laps."

The field will be split into two evenly-numbered groups, each of which will have a 25-minute session on Friday afternoon.

As usual, the fastest and second-fastest times recorded by each driver will determine the grid for races one and two.

Each group will then have a separate session of the same length to determine the grid for Sunday's final race.

The fastest driver in the quicker of the two sessions will start race one from pole with all others lining up in order on the odd side of the grid. Drivers from the slower session will take the even-numbered spots.