F1 drops reverse-grid idea for new Saturday sprint race push

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has revealed that plans for reversed grid qualifying races have been scrapped completely in favour of a new push for Saturday sprint races.

In recent years F1 has been pushing to try out alternative race formats but failed on three previous occasions to get one particular idea - which would have seen drivers race in reverse championship order on a Saturday in place of qualifying to determine the grid for Sunday’s main grand prix - off the ground.

Speaking in his first news conference since taking over the CEO role from Chase Carey at the start of the year, Domenicali told reporters on Thursday that F1 has now dropped the reverse-grid proposal altogether.

"Reverse grid is over,” Domenicali said. “That’s something I can tell you.

“It is important to think maybe of new ideas to be more attractive or interesting but we don't have to lose the traditional approach of racing.

"I think that what we learned when we were changing the qualifying every couple of days, it burned our fingers. So we need to avoid that, and therefore now I think that the format is quite stable.”

Instead, F1 is now putting its focus behind the possibility of introducing a new shorter race idea on Saturdays that could be trialed as early as the upcoming 2021 season.

“What we are looking at for sure is what could be the approach of the so-called sprint race on a Saturday," he explained. “We are thinking if this could be tested already this year.

“There are discussions going on with the teams in the right forum, and I think that maybe this could be the only one thing that could be interesting.”

Domenicali revealed he also wants F1 to increase running opportunities for new drivers hoping to break into the sport, in addition to the current free practice regulations.

"We need to give attention once again to the rookies, the real rookies," he said. "Today, with the fact that we have less testing, we need to create [opportunities] not only in the free practice, as already is written into the regulations.

"Maybe we can create good events, highlighting the fact that we need to focus the attention on the rookies. We have a very good number of young drivers that are already in Formula 1, but we cannot stop that flow going on."