By Joe Murphy
There has been a change to the order of things when it comes to 2024 Sprint weekends. As the next race in China will feature the first of its kind of the season, now is as good a time as any to get our heads round the alterations.
As in 2023, the weekend will begin with a single free practice session on Friday. However, unlike last year, Sprint Qualifying (formerly known as the Sprint Shootout) will follow later on Friday. Last year saw traditional qualifying take this slot.
Saturday’s action will then start with the 100km Sprint contest before full Qualifying to following on later that same day. As with normal races then, the grid for the Grand Prix on Sunday will be worked out the day prior.
The reason for the changes are not just because of fan feedback and race weekend experience, although that is said to be a factor. The change of order allows for a very important switch of parc ferme restrictions, which last year prevented teams from making significant setup changes from Friday, all the way through the weekend.
From this week’s Chinese Grand Prix, cars will be released from the restrictions after Saturday’s Sprint. Therefore, teams will now have the chance to use the knowledge they’ve gained through the two days to alter setups ahead of full Qualifying, rather than just having a single session. Only then, will changes no longer be permissable. Teams complained to those in power at the FIA about having too much to do in such a short space of time. It seems these complaints have been upheld.
2024 scheduling should also make it easier for drivers aswell. There is set to be less stress on the cars if changes can be enforces later, which will be extremely useful to all cars, especially on a bumpy surface like the one at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas. Just look at what happened to Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who were caught out by the running order.
This year, expect all the wrinkles we have seen in the Sprint to be ironed out and the overall racing experience should be much more enjoyable and beneficial, for all.
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