Red Bull’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen (behind) collides with Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc (front) after the start of the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka on Sunday.
LONDON: Formula One is to stick with its three-day race format but with changes to the Friday schedule to cater for an expanding calendar, according to the sport’s managing director for motorsport Ross Brawn.
Schedule changes have been debated by teams and stakeholders as part of measures to improve the show and cut costs while reducing the burden on staff who face travelling to an unprecedented 22 races from 2020.
Last Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix added to the discussion with qualifying delayed to Sunday morning due to Typhoon Hagibis.
“It was a Super Sunday in Suzuka and that naturally reopened the debate about the shape of an F1 weekend,” Brawn said in a Formula One review. “This is an aspect of the sport we have focused on in some detail as we work towards the rules that will govern Formula One over the coming years.
“I’ll be honest and say that there has been strong consensus, especially among the organisers, for maintaining the three-day format of track activity, although with a different timetable.”
