F1 considering a sprint race for rookies at the end of the year: here are the plans

Over the past few years, Formula 1 has reduced the number of tests per year and, consequently, the opportunities for young drivers to grow and race in a top-flight car. However, since 2022, the FIA ​​has approved a rule according to which, during each season, each team is forced to field a rookie, that is, a driver who has completed a maximum of two Grands Prix in Formula 1, in at least two free practice sessions.

Now the idea would be to organize a post-season sprint race just for rookies, as Stefano Domenicali also explained in an interview before the Italian GP in Monza. A plan that is being worked on behind the scenes with the various teams and that, according to the Team Principals, could materialize already at the end of this season.

Indeed, given the complexity of the proposal, as well as the limited margin to organize everything, at first it seemed that the plan could find approval for 2025 but, as explained by Chris Horner during the press conference of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the possibility of this sprint race being held in Abu Dhabi after this year’s post-season tests is slowly becoming concrete.

Clearly, to reach final approval, it would be necessary to find a meeting point not only with the FIA ​​and Liberty Media, but also with all ten teams: for now, however, the possibility of putting a car on the track for a sprint race, which would not count towards the championship, seems to find consensus.

The support of the teams

“As with all things in life, if you want it to happen, you make it happen. I think there was a clear directive to bring it about this year,” Horner said of the possibility of the rookie sprint race being held at Yas Marina this year.

Other teams have also given their support to the idea, mainly because it would give the chance to various young drivers to drive on the track. It could also probably provide the opportunity to add some specific sponsors for the event or create something different in terms of marketing, although this is obviously a secondary issue. However, Formula 1 teams rarely move in a certain direction if there is no return.

“I think it’s fantastic. If you don’t do things like that, post-season testing is just tyre testing. So I think it adds value to the day, makes it more exciting and gives young drivers another opportunity to get in the car. It’s a very rare opportunity these days, I find it very interesting,” said Ayao Komatsu, Haas Team Principal.

While teams with more resources can invest in having reserve and academy drivers run private test sessions with cars that are at least two years old, teams with fewer resources at their disposal cannot give rookies the chance to run more consistently, limiting themselves to simulator work only.

“It is important to give rookies more chances. We know how difficult it is to break into F1, so I think the FP1 sessions are not enough to show what can be done. Also for us, not having a TPC program [con vetture con due anni alle spalle]it is an additional opportunity to have more data and evaluate not only the performance itself, but also the mentality and approach of the rookie driver”, added Alessandro Alunni Bravi, head of Sauber.

Franco Colapinto, Williams Racing

Photo by: Williams

Only one car per team

The starting point of the regulations would be that of the current sprint that is held during the season, but some changes should still be made to the format, so that it can be adapted to the specific needs of the event.

Given the limited time available to bring the project to fruition, behind the scenes a meeting point must be found between all parties involved: “So obviously this puts pressure on the Sporting Working Group and the various team managers to work with the FIA ​​in order to come up with a set of regulations,” added the Red Bull Team Principal.

According to Horner, teams would enter just one car instead of two, meaning the starting grid would only contain 10 cars. Consequently, the qualifying session would also see changes, as SQ1 and SQ2 would become meaningless considering there would no longer be a need for a guillotine to limit the number of cars on track and shake up the official tests in each heat.

“There will be one car per team instead of two. Ultimately, you would use the mileage in a different way than just running it on a test day,” Horner said. That would also solve a secondary problem, which is that not every team has two drivers ready to take to the track in a top-flight car.

Undoubtedly, every team has Academy drivers suitable for the experiment but, in reality, there are few teams that can count on a good number of drivers who already have experience in a car or in a simulator. The top-tier teams can count on drivers who have already driven an F1 car on several occasions, while other teams with fewer resources cannot afford to drive with greater consistency. For example, Oliver Bearman had already completed several kilometres in an F1 thanks to various FP1 sessions, private tests with Ferrari, post-season tests with Haas and Pirelli tests, while Colapinto had completed only one day of testing and a single FP1 session before his debut.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes F1 W15

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Qualifying and race in one day

The sprint race would be held after the conclusion of the post-season tests in Abu Dhabi, scheduled for the days following the Grand Prix, where some rookies should also run. To establish the starting order of this sprint race, however, a qualifying session would also be needed: the idea is for everything to take place in a single day.

“I think the event will be a one-day event: qualifying and then a sprint race,” said Horner, effectively taking the format of Formula 1 up until last year as an example, given that the qualifying session was held on Saturday morning to establish the grid for the short race that would then be held in the afternoon.

“It’s an initiative that I’ve presented to the last two Formula 1 Commissions because I think it’s very good for young drivers. The problem with some rookie tests is that they’re all used for testing. You never know if they’re using 50kg, 70kg, 30kg of fuel, what engine they’re using? You never know how the opponent is going to behave,” added the Red Bull Team Principal.

“So I think this race for junior drivers, which would not be part of the championship, is a fantastic opportunity. It comes at the end of a busy season, but compared to the fact that you’re just racing to burn fuel and tires and only the teams that run those drivers know whether they’re doing a good job or not, to potentially give 10 rookies the opportunity to jump into the current cars and a sprint race, I think is fantastic.”