London, April 7 (BNA) Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said the first Formula 1 sprint weekend in Azerbaijan at the end of April will have a second qualifying session instead of final practice, with Saturday’s 100km race being a standalone event.
Vasseur told reporters that the teams had agreed to the change, which has yet to be confirmed by the FIA.
Previous sprint weekends had seen a Friday practice session followed by qualifying for the Saturday race. The top eight in that race, which decided the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix, scored points.
The second practice session sat awkwardly before the sprint, reports Reuters
Now there will only be one practice followed by a Friday qualifier for the Sunday race and then another qualifier on Saturday for the race, which still awards points but is no longer directly relevant to the big race.
Other sprint races this season will be in Austria, Belgium, Qatar, Austin and Brazil.
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has supported the idea of limiting practice and giving fans more entertainment.
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