F1 puts 'Sprint Race' vote on team meeting's agenda

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Formula 1 teams will vote this week on a proposal to trial this year at three events the concept of a Saturday sprint race that would determine Sunday's grid.

The plan was tabled last year along with the idea of resorting to reverse grids to spice up the show but failed to gain Mercedes' support.

While reverse grids have been permanently binned, a vote on sprint races will once again take place
at Thursday's meeting of the F1 Commission.

The plan would involve a Friday qualifying session to determine the grid for the Saturday sprint race.

The latter - a 100km race, or one third the distance of a Grand Prix - would therefore replace Saturday's qualifying. The short event would also carry points for the top eight, with those drivers scoring half the points normally awarded for a Grand Prix.

The idea would 28 out of 30 votes from the members of the F1 Commission, with the FIA and F1 holding 10 votes each while the remainder 10 votes are split between the sport's ten teams.

According to a report from BBC Sport, Montreal, Monza and Interlagos have been earmarked as the three events where the sprint race idea would be trialed.

Read also: F1 rules out reverse grids, but sprint races back on agenda

While the concept may hold merit in terms of boosting F1's entertainment value for fans, it remains to be seen just how many teams will be onboard with the plan, considering that it will imply additional costs for teams linked to the extra mileage but also to potential damage expenses.

BBC Sport's report reveals that F1 would be willing to add an extra $75,000 (£55,000) per team per race to cover the costs of a sprint race, a hardly enticing number for teams.

Nevertheless, Mercedes, which baulked at the idea of a Saturday sprint race during last years' discussions, appears to have opened up to the concept.

Three races have been chosen as potential venues for a trial this year on the basis that they should provide fast and exciting racing - Canada, Italy and Brazil.

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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.