New sprint format, DRS: The F1 Commission announces changes for the 2024 season

The first meeting of the 2024 Formula 1 Commission took place yesterday, Monday, February 5th, at the offices of Formula One Management in London. It was chaired by the FIA’s Director of Single-Seaters, Nikolas Tombazis, and Formula 1’s CEO, Stefano Domenicali.

During this meeting, several subjects were brought back to the table, including the sprint race format, which had been on hold since the teams requested a review of this format. Other decisions regarding sporting and technical regulations were announced.

“Sprint race format in 2024”

Following the previous support from the Formula 1 commission for an update to the sprint weekend, an agreement has been reached to reorganize the sessions during the sprint weekend, according to the FIA report. The format of the sprint weekends will now be as follows:

Friday:

– Essais Libres 1

– Qualifications pour le Sprint

Saturday:

– Sprint

– Qualifications pour le Grand Prix

Sunday:

– Grand Prix

This decision is not completely official, and the necessary regulatory adjustments for these changes will be presented to the FIA World Motor Sport Council on February 28th.

Update of technical and sporting regulations

Firstly, the number of power units has been increased to four per driver for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

Then, the DRS will be allowed to be activated one lap earlier after the race start in 2024. This means that instead of waiting until the third lap to activate their rear wing, the drivers will only have to wait until the second lap. This rule will also apply after a safety car intervention.

Finally, the Commission has discussed several issues related to the regulations for 2026, particularly regarding financial and sustainability matters. Other minor updates to the technical, sporting, and financial regulations for 2024 have been approved by the Commission.