Wreaths and parade lap part of celebrations for F1 sprint race

Sprint qualifying will make its debut at this weekend’s British Grand Prix as F1 experiments with the weekend format in a bid to spice up the action and create excitement and unpredictability.

The results of the short 100km sprint race will decide the grid for Sunday’s showpiece event, with F1’s usual qualifying session moved to Friday to set the starting order for sprint qualifying, which takes place on Saturday afternoon.

Reduced points (3-2-1) will be awarded to the top three finishers, while the sprint race winner will be officially credited with pole position for the event.

SEE ALSO: F1's new sprint format explained - and what the teams expect 

It had already been announced that there would be no traditional podium ceremony following the sprint race, with F1 keen not to devalue the main grand prix on Sunday.

The top three finishers will not have a podium registered in their career stats and the winner will not be credited with a victory.

Instead, F1 has confirmed that a classic twist will return for the post-race celebrations, with the top three sprint race finishers each presented with a uniquely designed wreath.

The top three will also have a parade lap around a packed-out Silverstone following the race, though exact details of how the celebrations will look are being closely guarded by F1.

“F1 Sprint is a brand-new and exciting format, so we felt it was important to come up with a post-race moment that was equally special,” explained Alex Molina, Director of Event Spectacle at Formula 1.

“The moment recognises the seven decades of history in the sport and combines it with a modern twist – very similar to the Sprint itself.”

Laurel wreaths being awarded to the top three finishers were a regular feature of grand prix racing in the past, though the tradition faded out in the mid-1980s due to sponsors being unhappy about their logos being blocked out in photos. 

In more recent times, F1 drivers have been presented with Pirelli caps on the podium that are adorned with embroidered golden laurels to go alongside their trophies.