Formula 1 is considering the idea of a special Grand Slam award for next year’s sprint races in a bid to inject an extra element of excitement into race weekends, Motorsport.com has revealed.
50 m
With F1 now fully committed to including a selection of sprint races on the F1 calendar, talks will soon begin on ways to further refine the spectacle in 2024.
While Grand Prix bosses are happy to keep the number of sprint races at six for next year, the F1 Commission meeting scheduled for the weekend of the Belgian Grand Prix looks set to discuss changes to the sprint plans.
Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali has revealed that one of the ideas being considered is to introduce a special ‘Grand Slam’ element to the sprint weekends – which would be awarded to any driver who takes pole position and victory for both the sprint, as well as for the main Grand Prix.
In an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com, talking about next year’s sprint plans, Domenicali said: “There will be six sprints and we will announce them, I think, in September, because we have an F1 Commission meeting scheduled for the Grand Prix weekend of Belgium.
“There is a suggestion I would like to make, along the lines of the Grand Slam concept. It is that the drivers who take the two poles and the two race wins at the weekend should be recognized with something extra that represents well the sporting initiative they have achieved.”
The idea of a Grand Slam is still in its early stages and it is understood that F1 wants discussions with the teams first about the general concept before focusing more on what the ultimate prize could be.
This is thought to be unlikely to result in additional championship points being offered, but could result in a special trophy or other award being handed out if a driver is dominant.
As well as the Grand Slam idea, F1 teams are also set to discuss whether the format for the sprint weekends should be fine-tuned for next year.
It is understood that areas under review are whether the tire distribution or closed park rules need to be changed and even whether the weekend flow is shaken up to build better momentum heading into Sunday’s race.
Currently, the Saturdays of the sprint race weekend are completely self-contained, with sprint qualifying in the morning and a shorter race in the afternoon.
One idea floated by some team bosses is Friday qualifying on sprint weekends to determine the grid for the sprint race to be held on Saturday morning rather than afternoon. After that, Saturday afternoon would be dedicated to qualifying for the Grand Prix itself.
If any changes are made to the sprint format, it will be another change to the weekend’s schedule, something that could confuse fans.
However, Domenicali insists that research shows that the shapeshifting does not risk being off-putting to many.
“We have analyzed this point,” he said. “I believe the risk is more with loyal viewers who have their own habits than new fans who are much more open to change.”
“However, there is no big news on the form front. We want to stabilize the six weekends with the sprint race and respect the habits of the long-time fans.”