The F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali, said in an interview that he supports getting rid of free practice sessions. This means engineers wouldn’t get as much data and drivers may make some mistakes which could lead to more exciting racing for the public.
F1 driver Russell thinks that experienced drivers don’t really need extra laps, so the F2 and F3 categories should have more practice time. When he was asked if three sessions of practice were necessary, he said: “I think no. Doing a lot of practice will help you be better with the car and make you feel comfortable driving it.”
I don’t think it’s fair that Formula 1 racers have three times more practice time than racers in the F3 and F2 categories. They should get to practice more since they do fewer races and don’t get a chance to try out their vehicles often.
Russell said that it was too extreme to completely get rid of practice, but F1’s owner Liberty Media’s idea of introducing sprint races had opened him up a bit. In the beginning he wasn’t into this plan, but now he loves it because having action on Fridays can make watching much more fun!
Lando Norris from McLaren wants more time for F2 and F3 races. He believes this would give these series better value for money, as well as adding to the pressure of F1 drivers. He also mentioned that it was “really stupid” when you look at how much it costs compared to the number of laps one gets.
Giving junior drivers more time to practice is a great learning opportunity for them in the world of Formula 1. It also puts pressure on both me and the engineers, so that we can start racing right away.
Max Verstappen, the defending champion, thinks that F1 should not change its format but focus on other ways to make it more exciting. He said: “I don’t like how many races we have now, and I’m not into changing the whole format (without practice sessions).
F1 drivers must be careful to not change the way they race too much. This is so that people who like watching F1 can keep doing so. They should maybe cut out one practice session, but shouldn’t make any other big changes. I used to really enjoy watching F1 races when I was younger and still look forward to them on Sunday.
“The main goal is to make sure that all the different teams get closer together so there will be more exciting races.”
