Jean Todt is not a fan of free practice 2 in a sprint race weekend
Jean Todt, the president of the FIA, does not see any interest in the free practice session on Saturday during race weekends with sprint races. According to him, it could ruin the show.
At Monza, F1 tested the sprint race for the second time this season. While this format may satisfy some spectators, the use of Free Practice 2 poses a problem. The format has elicited mixed reactions from fans. This one-hour session on Saturday morning is not very interesting. It falls between qualifying and the sprint race, allowing teams to gather as much information as possible for Sunday’s race, especially regarding tires.
For Jean Todt, the director of the FIA, the Free Practice 2 sessions in sprint race weekends make no sense. He believes that this session could be negative for the show, as it gives teams a huge advantage in terms of race strategies. For the moment, this format leaves me a little perplexed about what happens between 12 and 1 pm on Saturday morning. This hour of free practice is not understandable for the public, nor for the media. It can only be of interest to teams to collect information, such as on tire wear. From a spectacle point of view, it makes no sense, he explained. The same sentiment is shared by Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian believes that this session could harm the show, as it gives too much information to the teams. I’m not sure if Free Practice 2 is important. In fact, we probably learn too much and the races become somewhat predictable. I understand the time spent on television, but I think that for the health of the race, FP2 might be a bit harmful, as we acquire somewhat too much knowledge, said the winner of the Italian Grand Prix.
Another problem, fans have expressed their dissatisfaction with the way the pole position is awarded to the winner of the sprint rather than the fastest driver in qualifying. F1 is ready to consider changing, but Todt prefers to highlight the Sunday race. It’s an evolution of the competition. The grid is based on the sprint qualifying result. What is important is that the main event is the Sunday race. There should be no confusion about this, stated the director of the FIA. For now, nothing has been decided on the possibility of seeing this format at all GPs in the years to come, a third test will be conducted in Brazil this season. It will determine whether or not this format is of interest to F1.
