FORMULA ONE has approved plans for three short Saturday sprint races where championship points will be available to the top three finishers.
It is the latest tweak to the rules to increase the excitement over a race weekend.
The British GP at Silverstone, the Italian GP at Monza and the Sao Paulo Grand Prix have been earmarked for the three sprint races.
The results of those 100km races will then determine the grid for the Grands Prix, which will be run as normal on Sunday over a full race distance.
Formula One chief Stefano Domenicali said: “We are excited by this new opportunity that will bring our fans an even more engaging race weekend in 2021.
“Seeing the drivers battling it out over three days will be an amazing experience and I am sure the drivers will relish the fight.
“I am delighted that all the teams supported this plan, and it is a testament to our united efforts to continue to engage our fans in new ways while ensuring we remain committed to the heritage and meritocracy of our sport.”
FIA president Jean Todt welcomed F1’s plans to spice up the action and said it had the full support of the 10 teams and the governing body.
He added: “I am pleased to see that Formula One is seeking new ways to engage with its fans and enlarge the spectacle of a race weekend.
“It was made possible thanks to the continued collaboration between the FIA, Formula One, and all of the teams.
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“F1 is showing itself to be stronger than ever with all stakeholders working together in this way, and much has been done to ensure that the Sporting, Technical and Financial aspects of the format are fair.”
HOW IT WILL WORK AT SILVERSTONE, MONZA AND INTERLAGOS
Friday – Practice 1 for 60 minutes. Then qualifying in the normal format of Q1, Q2 and Q3 to determine the grid for the Sprint Race.
Saturday – Practice 2 for 60 minutes. Then the Sprint Race with 3 points on offer to the winner, 2 to the driver in second and one for the third-placed driver.
Sunday – Grand Prix over full race distance, the grid will be the classified results from the sprint race.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
