F1 News
'I thought it was better' says Horner on new sprint weekend format
The first sprint race is barely over, and the second is already upon us. Like last race weekend in China, only one free practice session awaits the 20 drivers in Miami, before qualifying for the sprint race on Friday. That short race is on Saturday morning, followed only by qualifying for Sunday's Grand Prix.
So, for anyone who has been paying close attention, the format of a sprint weekend has changed from a year ago. From this season onwards, it will be possible to tinker with the F1 cars after the sprint race, where previously the parc fermé rules came into effect immediately after the first and only free practice. Quite an improvement, according to Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing's team boss, ahead of the Miami Sprint.
"I thought it was better, especially in terms of parc fermé, that you can make adjustments between the sprint and [the rest of] the weekend," Horner states. "And qualifying, it feels like the opposite world on Saturday. You go from a race to qualifying. But it's good that we are trying things."
Horner sees two 'half weekends'
A major criticism of previous sprint weekends was that the flow was not the right one. With the shifts in terms of format, it is also different. "It's actually two half weekends. So you can, obviously, in the first half focus on the sprint. But there are only eight points to be won in the sprint. So the focus is still on the Grand Prix. Only now you have the option to make changes to your car after the sprint. That's a big step forward," Horner said.