F1 for long has been attempting to find ways to make the sport more interesting. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has repeatedly stated how he is not in favor of having free practice sessions as they reduce the spectacle of the sport. Even though he raised several eyebrows when he proposed the same idea a few months back, Valtteri Bottas is interestingly in favor of reducing practice sessions as well.
While speaking to Planet F1, the Finnish driver said (as quoted by f1maximaal.nl), “We have too many practice sessions these days anyway. Three workouts are too many. We don’t need that anymore with the simulation tools we have today“.
The Alfa Romeo driver’s recent remarks come a few months after Domenicali had claimed that free practice sessions are not fun for fans to watch, and hence, should be canceled. While drivers are not in favor of canceling the sessions altogether, there is a consensus among most that they do not need so many sessions.
Following Valtteri Bottas, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and several others also supported the idea of reduced practice sessions. Domenicali believes that instead of practice sessions, F1 should introduce something else as it will ensure that there is something to fight for the drivers every time they take to the track.
Domenicali created a stir when he suggested canceling practice sessions
When Stefano Domenicali initially made his remarks about canceling practice sessions altogether, he did create a stir. Several teams pointed out how they needed the practice sessions to set up the car and help the engineers receive critical data.
The drivers of the teams too acknowledged the same, but most of them agreed that they did not need three practice sessions every week to set up the cars. For example, George Russell said that one practice session is enough for the teams to try different setups and develop the car.
Meanwhile, other drivers such as Lando Norris pointed out how it is the F2 drivers who require more free practice sessions. The McLaren driver said (as quoted by the-race.com), “They (junior categories) only have an FP1 as well, which is terrible. So it would be good if they had more track time“.
Such discussions have been held throughout the 2023 season as there is an agreement among most that F1 needs change to improve the spectacle of the sport. One thing that F1 has tried since the beginning of last season is the introduction of sprint races. Last year, F1 held three sprint race weekends before doubling it this season.
While there have been some sprint race weekends that have been very intriguing, the primary concern against it is that it is too revealing of what will transpire during the main race. As a result, fans and teams often lose some excitement about how things will unfold for the Grand Prix, which is the highlight of the weekend.
