Williams boss proposes radical 'out there' idea to shake up F1 schedule

Williams team principal James Vowles has pitched an idea for F1 to shift to a two-day grand prix weekend in the future.

F1 has long used a three-day event to host its weekend sessions, with the traditional format being two practice sessions on Friday, one practice outing and qualifying on Saturday before the grand prix on Sunday.

The sport has already made moves to revamp the schedule with the introduction of sprint races in 2021. That figure has since risen to six and could grow further in the years ahead.

Next year's sprint calendar will feature the Marina Bay Street Circuit, a notoriously challenging track which hosts the Singapore Grand Prix.

The inclusion of Singapore on the sprint schedule has raised eyebrows due to various concerns such as limited overtaking opportunities and varying track conditions between the day and night sessions, but Vowles brushed off the unease.

"I don't care where they are, it’s absolutely fine being here," Vowles told media, including RacingNews365, over race weekend in the Southeast Asian city-state.

"You are right, overtaking is difficult, but these races have been set up for safety cars and slightly out there propositions.

"What we haven't had yet is a sprint race where someone does take a safety car stop and fight through the field. Singapore could be that next year."

While Vowles is content with keeping sprint races on the F1 calendar, the 46-year-old suggested the sport should consider shifting to only having on-track action on Saturday and Sunday.

F1's recent popularity growth has seen an increase in locations seeking a slot on the calendar, and Vowles suggested a shorter weekend could lend itself to accommodating more venues.

"What we see on sprint race weekends is the numbers go up, the audiences go up," he said.

"So it is generally a hit. I'm more someone who would like to debate whether we go to a two-day weekend, Saturday and Sunday.

"Reduce the amount of free practice and just make it a spectacle. By doing that and giving back 24 days to the teams, you could do a few more race weekends if you wanted to as well.

"So it’s a slightly different out there suggestion. Six sprints, for me, is about the right number."

James Vowles seeks scope for 'variability' as fan impact addressed

F1 has already used a two-day format in the modern era. The 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola featured a 90-minute practice session before qualifying on Saturday, while the main race remained a standalone feature on Sunday.

Vowles suggested that in the event of moving towards the alternate two-day schedule, not every event needs to adopt it immediately.

"I'm not saying go one way or the other -  but we've all said it here, three free practice sessions is actually quite a bit, really, in the grand scheme of things," he said.

"We’re sports and we're entertainment, and we do this for the fans, so variability is not a bad thing kicking into it."

Although the plan would free up 24 extra days for the teams, one caveat to the plan is the impact it would have on trackside fans, who would have the time spent watching the cars slashed.

Vowles acknowledged the importance of working in tandem with race promoters to ensure the event does not lose revenue through the revised schedule.

"It has to work hand in hand with promoters, and that might be a different fee structure," he said.

"But if you had two more grands prix, I think that will significantly outweigh the impact of a Friday missing, just on the economics of it.

"The F1 Commission, it’s often difficult to have a structured conversation like this, but it is one I’ve definitely spoken to Stefano [Domenicali, F1 CEO] about.

"I don't mind if we move there or not, but I think we should contemplate it. We tried this a few years ago, we ended up with a two-day weekend and it was surprisingly good in my opinion."