F1 is constantly studying new competition formats to increase the excitement on the asphalt. First it was the introduction of the weekend sprint race, then its revision and renewal for this season. And now comes another experiment that will be tried this weekend at the Hungarian F1 GP and also at the next Italian GP: a classification with mandatory tires for each ‘qualy’ session.
This weekend, at the Hungarian GP, qualifying on Saturday will be conducted using an experimental format based on the fact that all drivers must go to Q1 with hard tires, Q2 with medium tires and Q3 with soft tires.
What is the experimental qualifying format of the Hungarian F1 GP?
- Q1: 18 minute session. Drivers can only use hard tires in Q1. The first 15 will go to Q2.
- Q2: 15 minute session. Drivers qualified for Q2 can only use the medium tire in this session. The top 10 will go to Q3.
- Q3: 12 minute session. Only soft tires can be used.
- Riders will no longer have 13 sets of tires available. They go to a maximum of 11: 3 sets of hard tires, 4 medium and another 4 soft to be distributed over all the weekend sessions and the race.
Change from normal classification:
In normal qualifying, drivers would never use the hard tire, as it costs more to warm up, has poorer single-turn performance and lower initial grip. However, in experimental qualifying this weekend at the Hungarian GP, all drivers will be required to use the hard tire in Q1. This could cause significant grid changes on Sunday and increase excitement, as it shakes up the normal celebration of a ‘worthy’ and puts everyone in greater difficulty.
This change can change the order of things at the start, because there may be teams or drivers who suffer more to warm up their tires or to perform with hard tires and they have to fight it out in Q1 to avoid elimination .
In addition, in a normal classification, only the drivers with a lot left to make a cut drive in Q2 with medium tires. Others are generally looking to pass Q3 with a soft. In this case, everyone will have to drive on medium tires in Q2, something that can also change the natural order of things.
For its part, in Q3 the tire that is usually used is the one that will also be used in this experimental qualifying format, soft rubber, the best to find a good time for the turn. Therefore, this format will not affect the final and decisive part of ‘eligibility’ as it will not change anything.
And if it rains?
The new experimental classification format was supposed to be unveiled at the last Emilia Romagna GP, but the race at Imola was canceled due to heavy flooding. Today, in Budapest, the experiment may be affected by rain, as there is a 60% chance of rain for qualifying on Saturday. In case the asphalt is wet, this test cannot be performed and the classification will be in heavy rain, intermediate and dry tires that the pilots want to use in case the track is dry, without the obligation of a specific compound. .
There is also a high chance of rain on Friday, so it could complicate the work of all drivers. In this Grand Prix, it is important that everyone tests in dry conditions with different compounds to perform classification simulations on all of them to have data for ‘qualification’. If it rains on Friday, that job will be more complicated and the teams may reach the classification with fewer conclusions and more blindly. It can bring bigger surprises.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
