Brawn willing to consider Saturday qualifying race idea

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Formula 1 sporting manager Ross Brawn is open to the idea of shaking up the format of Grand Prix weekends and introducing a special qualifying race on Saturday afternoons.

The concept was revealed last week by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport as part of Liberty Media's potential initiatives to revamp F1's weekend format.

Formula 1's management is mulling the idea of scrapping Saturday's FP3 and replacing it with a one-hour qualifying session which would define the grid order of a 100 km sprint race held later in the day.

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Furthermore, to spice up the Saturday quali race, there would be no restrictions on tyres or fuel flow, enabling teams and drivers to go full blast for the duration of the short event!

"What we've done is invited lots of stakeholders to give us a view on the race weekend," explained Brawn.

"The objectives are, can we make financial improvements, help the teams in terms of their finances, can we help the promoters have a better show and can we get some diversity into the race without making it false.

"If we can get some diversity into the starting grid, which is genuine because it's come from a race, maybe that's worth considering," he continued.

"Having an extra race is an impact on the teams, but we need to look at the whole thing."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.