The changes in the setup of the weekends with a sprint race have been announced for some time and are now final. In Baku, things will be completely different this weekend. The grand prix starts on Friday with free practice and qualifying in the familiar format that determines the starting order for the race on Sunday.
Saturday will be sprint day and that is where it is revolutionary. An additional qualifying is held first, which determines the starting order for the sprint race. That qualification is called Sprint Shootout and that is a shorter qualification than usual.
Q1 lasts twelve minutes and is mandatory on new medium tyres. The fifteen drivers who make it to Q2 get ten minutes there and are again obliged to drive on new medium tyres. The session for the ten fastest drivers lasts only eight minutes and is mandatory on new soft tyres. That set-up could ensure that there is only time for one ultimate attempt in Q3.
In the sprint race that follows, just like last year, 8 points are at stake for the winner. The numbers two to eight always receive one World Cup point less.
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