F1 dash race weekend refresher

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is the primary of three Method One races this 12 months to function a revised schedule to the standard.

This weekend will see a 3rd aggressive session — the dash qualifying race — added between the normal qualifying session and the race.

F1 launched the dash format final 12 months in a bid to boost occasions, selecting the British GP, Italian GP and Brazilian GP to take action. These three races occurred to every function a memorable second in Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton‘s epic championship struggle, with collisions at Silverstone and Monza and a controversial on-track battle for victory at Interlagos, albeit throughout Sunday’s predominant occasion and never through the newly launched dash race.

The dash races themselves proceed to divide opinion in F1, however F1 has made one change specifically that ought to make the Saturday occasion much more aggressive than what we noticed final 12 months.

What is the dash qualifying format?

This weekend, the schedule seems to be like this:

Friday: Qualifying (10.55AM – ESPN2)
Saturday: Dash qualifying (12.25PM – ESPN)
Sunday: Grand Prix (8.55AM – ESPN)

Imola’s TV schedule

The obvious distinction from a standard weekend is that the normal one-hour qualifying session shifts from Saturday to Friday, with one of many three observe classes being dropped from the schedule in consequence.

The usual qualifying stays unchanged in format, collaborating throughout three mini classes — 5 drivers are eradicated from Q1 and one other 5 from Q2, leaving a 10-car struggle for pole place in Q3. The important thing distinction is that the results of that Q3 session units the grid for the quick dash race on Saturday afternoon and never for Sunday’s grand prix.

That race is one-third the space of an F1 race and is capped at 100 kilometers, that means drivers can race from begin to end without having to pit. The results of Saturday’s occasion (which can be 21 laps in Imola) units the grid for Sunday’s race.

Final 12 months, factors have been handed out to the highest three finishers solely, however this has been tweaked for the brand new season.

What has modified this 12 months?

Venues

Whereas Brazil has saved its dash qualifying schedule for this 12 months, Silverstone and Monza have reverted to conventional weekends.

Of their place, this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and July’s Austrian Grand Prix will function the dash format.

Factors for the highest eight finishers

Final 12 months, there have been simply three points-paying positions on provide. First (three factors), second (two factors) and third (one level).

This has been prolonged to the highest eight this 12 months, with eight factors on provide for the winner and the remainder being scaled down from there.

The hope is this may create extra aggressive racing away from the highest finish of the grid, as some drivers have been pleased to settle right into a place final 12 months as soon as the drama of the opening laps had settled down.

With extra factors on provide, a giant mistake for a championship contender in a dash qualifying occasion may need a much bigger price: as an alternative of shedding three factors, a driver may lose eight to a rival if he encounters any drama.

Pole place within the historical past books

Worry not, historical past buffs, pole place on these weekends will now go to the motive force to set the quickest lap in qualifying on Friday.

There was some frustration amongst traditionalists final 12 months when the official ‘pole place’ label was given to the motive force who received the dash qualifying race. The winner of the qualifying session in these three occasions as an alternative was given the reasonably much less historic crown of ‘Pirelli Pace King’.

This 12 months, the foundations have been tweaked to make sure the motive force who units the quickest lap within the Friday qualifying session can be considered the motive force who received pole place.