As fans return to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, Formula One will welcome them with a jazzed up format that adds ‘the Sprint’, effectively an extra race, on Saturday.

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Formula One will host its first Sprint qualifying, a change that is expected to deliver a “much more complete weekend with three days of intense competition,” Ross Brawn, the F1 sporting director said. 

What is Sprint qualifying?

The F1 Sprint qualifying will be a race run over 100 km – 17 laps at Silverstone – and will last around 30 minutes. The event, deemed as a T20 cricket match, is expected to treat the spectators with thrill and the 10 teams with a challenge. Drivers will be allowed to pick any type of tyres but pit stops will not be allowed. 

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When does the Sprint qualifying take place?

The Sprint race will take place on Saturday, July 17. 

What happens to the regular qualification and the practice sessions?

There will be just two practice sessions during the weekend, each lasting one hour. The first will take place on Friday lunchtime, with teams able to use any two sets of their weekend allocation of 12. The qualification moves to Friday. The qualification will determine the grid for the Sprint race, which decides how the drivers start on Sunday. 

Will the Sprint race have points?

Yes. Points will be awarded to the top three finishers, three for the winner down to one point for third. There won’t be a podium ceremony. However, there will be a special post-Sprint presentation for the top three.

Good move? 

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton predicted the Sprint will be “a train”.

“The race remains on Sunday”, said Jean Todt, the president of the FIA, the governing body of motorsports.

F1 is seeking “better media coverage with Fridays that will finally come to life,” Brawn said.

“The thing to remember about Sprint Qualifying is that its intention is to expand the whole weekend,” said Brawn. “It is not intended to impact the race event. The Grand Prix is still the vital event of the weekend.”

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“Sunday’s Grand Prix is fantastic, and we don’t want to cannibalise that, but we want to lift up the engagement on a Friday and a Saturday.”

“It’s going to be a train, probably,” said Hamilton. “Hopefully there’ll be some overtaking, but it most likely won’t be too exciting.”

Todt said he was “not a big fan” and does not want to call the Sprint a race.

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“I don’t think Formula 1 needs it,” he said. “On the other side, if people want to try something, it’s not going to hurt the race on Sunday.

“It costs nothing to try.”

With UK coronavirus restrictions relaxing, Silverstone can host a capacity crowd of 140,000 on all three days

The format is still an experiment, which F1 intends to repeat at Monza in September and at one other race. Brazil has been ear-marked but F1 acknowledges that the coronavirus pandemic could put paid to that race.

“If it doesn’t work, we put hands up and we will think again,” said Brawn.