The Parc Fermé rule will be removed during Sprint weekends
F1. In addition to the 24 Grand Prix for this year 2024, six Sprint races will take place during the season. The big change compared to 2023 is that the Parc Fermé rule will no longer be implemented between the Saturday Sprint race and the Sunday qualifying session.
This year, the number of Sprint races will not increase compared to 2023, but the choices of Grand Prix are different. China, Miami, Austria, Austin, Qatar, and Brazil will have their F1 weekends host two races.
During the previous season, F1 and the FIA tried to find new ways to liven up the Sprint weekends, which were considered too monotonous and not adding anything more than a typical weekend. A reversed grid for the top ten in the championship or offering points during qualifying sessions were ideas discussed during the debates.
The Parc Fermé rule abolished.
The major change for this season will concern the Parc Fermé rule. During Sprint weekends in 2023, teams were no longer allowed to make any adjustments to the race car after the Shootout. This rule will be abolished this year after the Sprint, but will still be enforced between the qualifying session and the Sunday race.
The presence of the Sprint race increases the risk for drivers to have an accident and therefore damage their race car for both qualifying and the main race. Negotiations are underway to potentially allow teams to use the backup chassis with more flexibility than initially stipulated by the regulations.
The number of annual power units has been increased from four to three in 2023. With the number of Sprints doubled and 24 Grand Prix in one F1 season, a record, this decision by the F1 Commission has been well received by the different teams.
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