“It is terrible,” Lando Norris calls out FIA for its approach toward F2 and F3 championship races
Lando Norris wants junior drivers to have enough track time.
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Lando Norris. Image via The Mirror.
Formula 1 driver Lando Norris has taken up a new role. The McLaren star has become an advocate for allowing the junior category drivers to have more track time during the Grand Prix weekend. Norris believes it would help them build experience. The F2 and F3 categories have only one practice session before qualifying. It is then followed by a sprint and feature race.
Changing the F1 race format and reducing the practice time has become a topic of discussion. Stefano Domenicali declared that he favors the cancellation of free practice sessions. He does not think the audience like the practice sessions. He also wants to introduce a sprint race format. Lando Norris and George Russell were questioned about his statements. The drivers agreed with Domenicali. Norris and Russell suggested F2 and F3 categories should have more track time than F1.
Lando Norris stated, “To give them more track time, more sets of tyres in practice, they have one set of tyres for FP1, which is nothing. They only have FP1 as well, which is terrible. It would be good if they had more track time. I think it’s a good thing for junior drivers to get that. For F2 and F3, one is that they have terrible tyres which last about a lap.”
“It’s really stupid,” Lando Norris reveals high-expense racing in F1 junior categories
Norris added, “I guess from my time in it, when you see the cost of how much it is to do this series versus the amount of laps you get, it’s shocking. It’s really shocking to see how much money you spend to do a junior category before F1 just to give yourself a chance to be in F1, it’s really stupid.” It does not make sense to him to spend much money on a junior category for fewer laps.
Formula 1 will run a new Sprint race format in the upcoming Azerbaijan GP. It will have only one practice session and two qualifying sessions for the Sprint and feature race. The paddock has different opinions on the new format. Lando Norris suggested he did not have a strong opinion on the subject. He revealed he did not think about it much.
Lando Norris agreed with Stefano Domenicali that practice sessions and qualifying would not be as interesting as the main race. However, he concluded by saying he did not have a solid opinion on this matter. The current Formula 1 race format holds 3 free practice sessions, one qualifying on Saturday and the feature race on Sunday. As there is an increase in the sport’s popularity, the organization wants to tweak the F1 format and make it more entertaining for the fans.
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Sugantha Meena
(493 Articles Published)