F1 sprint races before main round

Abu Dhabi, Nov 24: Formula One sprint races are set to be held before qualifying for the main Grand Prix race starting next season after a proposal to change the format was approved on Friday.
The decision to tweak the weekend schedule was reached following discussions with the F1 commission at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The commission includes the governing body FIA, the teams and the commercial rights holder F1.
“The commission gave overall support for an update to the sprint format for 2024,” the FIA said in a statement. “A final proposal will be presented to the F1 commission for the first meeting of 2024.” Weekends that included a sprint race have previously seen qualifying for the main Grand Prix race held on Friday instead of the usual Saturday. A qualifying session – known as a shootout – for the sprint, followed by the sprint race itself, has been held on Saturdays.That has proved unpopular with some teams because it leaves too much of a gap between Friday’s qualifying and Sunday’s main race. (PTI)