No 'sprint qualifying' at every race in future

(GMM) Stefano Domenicali insists that ‘sprint qualifying’ will never take place on each and every grand prix weekend in the future.

The new format will almost certainly be trialed over three races in 2021, with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff warning that it is a risk for Formula 1.

“We are in a world driven by data,” he told Corriere dello Sport. “We simulate every aspect of this world and yet now we are talking about competing immediately with a format never tried before and that has certainly not been simulated properly.

“We will not block anything because the experiment is worth it,” added Wolff.

“But we must be very careful with the format we have in mind given the responsibility we have for Formula 1.”

Wolff said one of the biggest risks is that an extra race on Saturday will detract from the interest of Sunday’s traditional main event.

However, F1 CEO Domenicali says the promoters involved in the 2021 trial report that they are taking “many more ticket inquiries”.

Even so, the Italian said Formula 1 will not go overboard with the new format.

“We don’t want to do this at every grand prix in the future. This should be a Grand Slam for selected events,” said Domenicali.

“We have to discuss the number in the next step, but it won’t be too many. Let’s just see if it works first.”