Method One could have its first dash race weekend of the 2023 season at Baku’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend, albeit with a tweaked format to the way it ran in 2021 and 2022.

The dash race was launched to boost sure races, providing venues the possibility to successfully have three days of aggressive operating (Qualifying on Friday, a dash race on Saturday, race on Sunday) somewhat than a complete Friday devoted to follow classes. That format has been polished up for the six occasions which is able to run below a dash schedule in 2023.

The dash is a shortened model of the grand prix, 100km of the circuit — in Baku that may equate to 17 laps.

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The format has been met with a blended reception and stays controversial, with reigning world champion Max Verstappen one in every of its largest critics. The Dutchman has gone as far as to counsel F1’s fixed tweaking and increasing of the dash format will ultimately result in him quitting the game.

So what’s modified? Why? And can it make an enormous distinction?

The previous format

Beforehand, F1’s predominant qualifying occasion on Friday, which is run in segments known as Q1, Q2 and Q3, would set the grid for the dash race.

The results of that shortened race would then set the grid for Sunday’s showpiece occasion.

Friday Apply One, Qualifying

Saturday: Apply Two, Dash Race

Sunday: Grand Prix

This schedule was unpopular with groups, who stated the Saturday follow session was successfully irrelevant.

The brand new format

Not solely is that follow session now gone, however it has made approach for a shorter, standalone qualifying session on Saturday — dubbed Saturday Shootout — which is able to set the grid for the dash race itself.

Friday: Apply, Qualifying

Saturday: Saturday Shootout, Dash Race

Sunday: Grand Prix

The important thing distinction between Friday qualifying and the Saturday Shootout might be timings.

Q1
Friday Qualifying: 18 minutes
Saturday Shootout: 12 minutes

Q2
Friday Qualifying: quarter-hour
Saturday Shootout: 10 minutes

Q3
Friday Qualifying: 12 minutes
Saturday Shootout: 8 minutes

It’s hoped that the shorter instances will create extra jeopardy, particularly in Q3, the place visitors or incidents on monitor might restrict drivers to only a single timed try. It additionally means drivers setting a time late within the session are extra susceptible to a purple flag leaving them with no qualifying time in any respect, doubtlessly making a blended up grid order for the dash.

The opposite main distinction between Friday qualifying and Saturday Shootout might be tyres.

The Shootout dictates that each one groups should use new tyres. In Q1 and Q2 it have to be new mediums, whereas drivers setting a lap time in Q3 could have to take action on new comfortable tyres.

In each, 5 drivers might be eradicated from Q1 and Q2 apiece, leaving ten drivers to battle it out in Q3. Within the document books, pole place would be the driver who qualifies quickest on Friday.

The change means every thing that occurs on Saturday is now devoted to the dash. A nasty outcome or a crash within the dash race will not spoil a driver’s beginning place for the race itself.

So for instance, when Kevin Magnussen took pole place in qualifying on the Brazilian Grand Prix final 12 months, he would have began from first place on Sunday below the brand new schedule. Because it ran below the previous format, he began the race from eighth place having dropped to that place within the dash race which adopted.

Factors

This hasn’t modified. Within the dash, factors are given to the highest eight in descending order, 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.

That could be a huge distinction to the grand prix, the place factors are given to the highest ten, 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1, with a bonus level for anybody within the prime ten who secures the quickest lap of the race. So the Sunday predominant occasion continues to be the extra rewarding session when it comes to the championship.

Will the brand new format make the dash extra thrilling?

F1 actually hopes so. Below the previous format, the place the results of the dash race was a double-whammy, giving factors out to the highest eight and setting the grid for Sunday, drivers erred on the aspect of warning for the shorter format to not compromise the principle occasion.

A crash would have a large impression. A superb instance was Pierre Gasly on the 2021 Italian Grand Prix. Only one 12 months on from his well-known win the Frenchman had a nightmare below the dash format, qualifying sixth however then crashing out of the dash race. That meant he began the grand prix itself from final place.

Below the brand new format, Gasly would have began Sunday’s grand prix from sixth place no matter his dash race outcome. With Saturday now completely devoted to the dash and the result having no impression on Sunday’s grid place, F1 believes drivers could have extra to battle for.

F1 boss Stefano Domenicali is an enormous fan of the dash race format and made headlines just lately when he stated he wished to switch some follow classes with extra significant occasions. F1 says its analysis into the six dash weekends over the previous two years is that there’s a main will increase in each audiences and engagements on a Friday when followers are provided qualifying over a follow occasion.

Nevertheless, there are nonetheless some apparent drawbacks. Groups are cautious of the hefty restore payments that include accidents, given the very fact all 10 groups now function inside a value cap.

Pink Bull boss Christian Horner stated in March: “The truth is it is completely ludicrous to be doing the primary dash race of the 12 months in a avenue race like Azerbaijan. I believe from a spectacle perspective, from a fan perspective, it is most likely going to be one of the thrilling dash races of the 12 months.

“From a value cap perspective, all you are able to do is trash your automotive. And it prices some huge cash round there. So one race is sufficient in Baku, the truth that we have got two [races], there may very well be effectively some motion there.”

There will even be a query of whether or not the drivers within the decrease half of the order throughout the dash race have a lot motivation to proceed as soon as it’s clear they can’t end within the prime eight — they won’t be racing for factors nor grid place, having already certified for the Sunday occasion, and could also be inclined merely to nurse a automotive to the end or retire the automotive within the pits. For some, Baku’s dash might be a excessive risk-zero reward model occasion, and it will likely be fascinating to see how this performs out in actual time.

Why does the dash divide opinion?

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen has steered the dash format might ultimately lead him to leaving F1 for good if it turns into a much bigger a part of the schedule going ahead. Verstappen’s reservations are with the idea somewhat than the format and he has stated the brand new guidelines is not going to change his opinion.

“Even if you happen to change the format, I do not discover that’s within the DNA of Method One to do these form of dash races,” Verstappen stated earlier than the brand new tweak was confirmed.

“I hope there will not be too many modifications, in any other case I will not be round for too lengthy.

“I’m not a fan of it in any respect. Once we do all that form of stuff, the weekend turns into veryintense and we already do numerous races. However it isn’t the fitting method to go about it.

“I perceive that they need to have day-after-day thrilling, however then I believe it is higher to simply scale back the weekend – solely race the Saturday and Sunday. And if you happen to begin including much more stuff,it is not value it for me. I am not having fun with that.”

For some race promoters, dash races are a implausible addition to the calendar, giving them the possibility to cost for 3 aggressive days of motion. This begs the query of the place F1 attracts the road with this new dash idea. Followers will even have seen that the quantity of dash races doubled from 2022 to 2023. It’s not outrageous to counsel there might be greater than six dash races on future F1 calendars, which begs the questions as as to if the normal format of a qualifying session on Saturday adopted by a race on Sunday will slowly grow to be the much less frequent.

This may not be a foul factor for followers eager to see three days of motion, however some have voiced issues that the dash occasion dilutes the showpiece occasion on Sunday. With Max Verstappen and Pink Bull dominating this season it might additionally not be the most effective advert for the format.