Teams propose $1m Friday ‘show race’

(GMM) Among the new FOTA alliance's possible proposals for the future of formula one is a Friday "show race" for prize money, it has emerged.

The German portal motorsport-total.com reports that the idea, offering not points but $1m to the winner, is one of the F1 team association's plans to spice up the show.

Ever since Friday qualifying was scrapped in the mid-90s, Friday has staged only F1 free practice, and crowd numbers and media interest is often low.

It is suggested that at the most recent FOTA meeting in Singapore, chaired in Luca di Montezemolo's absence by McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh, the idea of a 45-minute Friday show race was discussed.

"It would be a good start to the weekend, give the press something to write about, and be completely separate to Sunday's race," Whitmarsh is quoted as saying.

Another apparent proposal is to scrap Friday's action altogether.

More discussions are slated to take place at Fuji or Shanghai.