Formula 1: FIA plan to feature more sprint races in 2023 season

(Motorsport) Formula 1’s governing body the FIA are planning to double the amount of sprint events in the 2023 season. In Tuesday’s meeting of the F1 Commission, the teams backed a proposal by the commercial rights holders to hold six sprint events. According to several sources, the FIA have asked for more money in return for providing their support for the increased number of sprint events.

In addition to income from promoters, the FIA already receives $40m ($30.7m) from F1 as well as $1m extra for every race held over 20. An FIA spokesperson said that the request was "not entirely money-related" but was "for a genuine operational purpose" to do with "ensuring we have the resources to adequately do our job". He said “We're not a profit-creating organisation, but we do need to be properly resourced.” He said sprint events had "a significant impact on the workload of staff", adding that "we would probably need to increase the number of operational staff in areas such as scrutineering, parc ferme and tyre return." 

The decision to increase the number of sprint races is because Formula 1 believes that it has enhanced the income and interest by moving the qualifying on Friday and the sprint race to Saturday. The format was introduced in the 2021 season and was set to hold six races this season but the plan fell through as they couldn’t reach an agreement with the teams about the financial compensation. 

In the meeting, the new engine regulations for 2026 were also discussed despite no agreement in place. The engines will remain 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrids but the MGU-H part of the energy recovery system will be removed. In addition, 100% sustainable fuel will also be used and the aim is to attract new manufacturers to the sport with Audi and Porsche being linked to Formula 1 in the future. The chassis regulations have also been modified for the 2026 season which will:

Reduce drag to improve sustainability

Take further steps to generate competitive racing and enabling the cars to follow each other closely

Reduce the car dimensions

"Reduce or contain" total mass

Continue to standardise or simplify certain components to reduce costs and expand the use of sustainable materials and technologies

Formula 1 will also aim to reduce the number of tyre sets used in a Grand Prix weekend from 13 to 11 at two events in the 2023 season to improve sustainability.

Also read: Max Verstappen secures win at Imola while Ferrari have a bad day

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