Leclerc In Support Of Sprint Weekend Format That Eliminates Three 'Boring' Practice Sessions
F1Friday, 10 November 2023 at 07:00
Updated at Friday, 10 November 2023 at 14:12
Scuderia Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc shared his opinion on Sprint weekends and how the current format could be improved going into 2024.
The 2023 F1 calendar contained 24 races, 22 of which took place. Six of these 22 weekends were sprint weekends, which took on a new format this season with a Sprint Shootout introduced.
Sprint weekends took place in Azerbaijan, Austria, Belgium, Qatar, United States, and the last one took place in Brazil last week.
Some drivers like Max Verstappen openly criticized the format, saying they don't like it, and some like Lewis Hamilton expressed their support but would like some change.
It was Hamilton who said he likes only one practice session ahead of the Qualification on Friday. Charles Leclerc seems to agree with the Mercedes driver as he told the media according to PlanetF1:
"I quite like it. I like the fact of having only one free practice session. I don’t think we should have more than six Sprint weekends in a year. I think six is good. But to have one free practice and go straight to qualifying is something I enjoy."
Leclerc also agrees with the seven-time World Champion in saying six sprint weekends in a season is enough. The Ferrari driver also admitted that three Free Practice sessions sometimes get boring for him.
"I think the Saturday could be changed and improved, but I really like the Friday, to not have three free practice sessions is really long and sometimes it can get a bit boring."
Multiple drivers seem to like the element of only one practice session which does not leave much time for the teams to tune their cars to the most suitable setup for the circuit.
"We always go through the same programme. So I like the fact of having only one free practice and go straight to the action with qualifying."
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