Scrapping practice sessions not on F1 agenda but format changes discussed

PlanetF1.com understands F1 has no intention to do away with practice sessions after it was suggested Stefano Domenicali was in favour of it.

The F1 president Domenicali caused a stir recently when he was quoted as stating he was in favour of removing practice sessions from the weekend schedule.

“I am a supporter of the cancellation of free practice sessions,” he reportedly told Portuguese broadcaster SportTV. “Which are of great use to the engineers but that the public doesn’t like.”

However, PlanetF1.com understands that Domenicali’s quotes were misquoted and that the sport has no intention of getting rid of practice sessions.

But, potential changes to practice sessions have also been put to the F1 Commission and were said to be welcomed positively.

A typical F1 weekend has three practice sessions stretched from Friday to Saturday morning but in 2021, that format was altered with the introduction of sprint races.

During a sprint weekend, of which there will be a record six in 2023, the number of practice sessions is dropped down to two with the Friday afternoon slot instead taken up by qualifying for the sprint race.

With no racing typically on the Friday, hosting the opening day of a grand prix can be a costly affair for promoters, of which F1 is one this season with the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

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Scraping practice sessions would hurt the Formula 1 product not help it, the Formula 1

Formula 1 teams and drivers are already under practice restrictions like no other sport. Imagine telling a footballer they can only see a football at the weekend or telling a golfer they have access to their clubs but the luxury of a ball is reserved for Saturday and Sunday.

Ahead of a big fight, boxers will spend anywhere between 10 to 12 weeks practising and yet, a Formula 1 driver gets one and a half days of pre-season testing.

What’s more, every football pitch and boxing ring are made from the same material to roughly the same dimensions, practising on one pitch or ring should provide skills that are pretty universally transferable.

Yet in Formula 1, every track is different, from the composition of the asphalt to its corner layout and DRS zones. Each circuit provides a different challenge and if teams are restricted to just qualifying and races to learn the various traits of each, then you will more often than not have a situation where some teams nail it and some teams find themselves way off the pace.

As with any sport, the phrase ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ does not seem to be in the lexicon of the decision makers but there is a genuine argument to be made that by eliminating the practice sessions, you are offering a poorer product.

Formula 1 is seen as the pinnacle of motorsport and is one of, if not the, most technically intricate sport in the world, yet those within it are handicapped to an extreme degree. The practice session is the final chance to have a car built to produce the perfect race and surely that is what every team, driver and fan really wants.