Could We See Reversed Or Semi-Reversed Grid In 2024?

F1
Wednesday, 24 January 2024 at 07:00
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One of the most disputed topics over the course of the last - Sprint weekends are about to change in 2024, but what can we expect?

Even though many criticized the new format of the Sprint weekends that was introduced in 2023, it is not going away for the season of 2024.

Six venues for hosting Sprint race weekends in 2024 were announced last December, with a note from the FIA president saying he planned to work on potential changes with F1 teams and management. What changes could we possibly see?

A reversed/ semi-reversed grid has been suggested by quite a few people including Christian Horner, for example. He said he could imagine something like the top ten cars being reversed (semi-reversed) with an addition of more points for the winner.

Many drivers complained that sprint races weren't attractive enough because they knew the main point-scoring opportunity always came on Sunday.

Moreover, there were two separate qualifying sessions  (one of them called Sprint Shootout) which, on the one hand, were more enjoyable to watch than Free Practice sessions, but on the other hand, quite often led to very similar results.

And the same trend could be observed between Sprint and Grand Prix races. Max Verstappen asserted Sprint races only spoil what will happen during the 1st third of the race on Sunday.

A reversed or semi-reversed grid could be a potential solution to all these problems. At the same time, George Russell, for example, believes this idea would not work.

The Brit said he had experience with a similar format from F2 and F3. The problem was that the most challenging car to overtake would always be the one in front of you - which does not promote more overtaking.

Each suggestion has some pros and cons. However, we won't really know how it would play out until F1 tried to implement it.

Some drivers like Verstappen are against experimenting, and some like Lewis Hamilton fully support it. Which side do you agree with more?