Calay News
This year, Formula 1 will test a new two-race qualifying format, with the first experiment scheduled for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in May. The aim is to reduce the number of tires used during a race weekend from 13 to 11 sets available to each driver. During qualifying, drivers will be forced to use hard, medium, and soft tires in Q1, Q2, and Q3, respectively. However, if any of the sessions are declared wet, the choice of tires will be free.
The aim of the test is to make the championship more sustainable by reducing waste and ensuring that drivers use a wider variety of tires throughout the race weekend. However, if testing during the 2023 season proves detrimental to the show, the new format will not be implemented.
Some drivers, such as Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, do not believe any change to the current format is needed, with Charles Leclerc suggesting that “there is no need to change anything.” Engineers suggest that the tire reduction will also have a knock-on effect on the practice sessions, with teams likely to use just one set of soft tires in FP2 and FP3 to conserve two sets of fresh softs for Q3.
Although the main goal is sustainability, some drivers are skeptical about the new format, especially with the obligation to use hard tires in Q1, which could be tricky given their slower warm-up in cooler conditions.
