F1 to trial a new qualifying format - but the drivers aren’t happy about it

The new plan will be separate to the Sprint races, which are already scheduled for six grands prix this year.

How will the new qualifying trial work

• Drivers must hard use compound tyres in Q1
• Drivers must use medium compound tyres in Q2
• Drivers must use hard compound tyres in Q3

Why do F1 want to trial a new system?

• To reduce the tyre sets brought to an F1 weekend
• Each car currently has 13 tyre sets allocated - this trial enables that to be reduced to 11

Verstappen isn’t pleased, saying about the proposed first trial: “I hope it’s not going to be cold in Imola, otherwise it’s going to be quite tricky.

“It’s the same for everyone but I don’t think we need to actually do these kinds of things in qualifying. I don’t really see the benefit of it. 

“It’s better if we make sure that all the cars are close to each other and more competitive instead of spicing things up in that way, which I think is probably for the show.”

Leclerc said: “I don’t feel there was a need for change for that but let’s try and see.”

Sergio Perez added: “I think we don’t need that when you see the qualifying we had today, how close everything was. 

“We do not really need to change anything. But we’ll see, we’ll see once we try it but I don’t think there’s a need to change something that is working well.”