Liberty Media is reportedly considering implementing a qualifying race
According to the German site Auto Motor und Sport, Formula 1 officials want to introduce a qualifying race held on the Saturday of each Grand Prix to determine the starting grid.
The German media outlet « Auto Motor und Sport » revealed that Liberty Media reportedly has several ideas to modify Grand Prix weekends and consequently revitalize viewership.
The aging of Formula 1 fans is of great concern to the new owners of the sport. To secure the future, it is absolutely necessary to attract a younger audience. This is why the idea of condensing the Grand Prix events has emerged in the minds of Liberty Media representatives. Indeed, entertainment consumption habits have significantly evolved among younger generations. The youngest among us prefer shorter, more dynamic formats, which are incompatible with the current format of Grand Prix weekends. In order to attract a new generation of F1 fans, the implementation of a qualifying race determining the starting grid for the main race is reportedly under consideration.
The favored idea would be to keep the two one-and-a-half-hour free practice sessions on Friday. The main changes would focus on Saturday, with the organization of a qualifying session determining the positions for a sprint race. This 100-kilometer race would determine the final grid for Sunday’s race.
The possibility of starting with a reversed grid for this short race was quickly abandoned as it would have created an artifice that risked being very unpopular with fans of the discipline.
The plan from the F1 masterminds would involve scheduling this qualifying race during prime time hours before the kick-off of matches from the main European football leagues, such as the English Premier League, which is the most followed in the world. Additionally, this extra race would see the lifting of fuel and tire limits to allow drivers to push flat out during the 100-kilometer race.
This project to overhaul the Grand Prix format has reportedly already been presented to the various teams during the Melbourne weekends. Asked about it, non-executive director Niki Lauda even offers some ideas: « Why not set a maximum length for the races. Say 100 or 90 minutes. The two-hour races in Singapore and Monte Carlo are hard to sell if nothing happens for two hours. »
