22/07/2021
NEWS STORY
F1 has today confirmed that Sprint Qualifying will be trialled once again at the Italian Grand Prix weekend.
As was the case at Silverstone there will be a free practice session on Friday afternoon with qualifying taking place at 18:00 (all times local).
Saturday practice will get underway at 12:00, while Sprint Qualifying, which decides Sunday's grid, gets underway at 16:30.
Due to the length of the Autodromo Nazionale Monza it is anticipated that the race will comprise 18 laps, around 104 kms (65 miles) though many feel that last weekend's Sprint - 100 kms (62 miles) - was several laps too long.
While fans remain divided on the format, most teams and drivers appear to be in favour, with F1 motorsport boss, Ross Brawn insisting it was a success, though he admits that it may need to be tweaked.
The third event to feature Sprint Qualifying was expected to be the Brazilian Grand Prix but it is looking increasingly likely that the sport will not be heading to South America this year.
Indeed, Pitpass has heard from a couple of reliable sources that Qatar is to be announced as a surprise host later in the year.
Auto Motor und Sport's Tobu Gruner mentioned the possibility of a Qatar Grand Prix yesterday, but few appear to have taken up on the story which was first revealed to Pitpass over a week ago.
With some already querying how a Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia sits with Formula One's supposed attitude towards human rights, the possibility of a race in Qatar will again raise eyebrows.