F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Why Norris and Tsunoda opted out of Q3 Sprint Shootout opportunity

Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda took a gamble in Friday's qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a strategic bet that will however prevent then from taking part in Saturday's Q3 Sprint Shootout.

Formula 1's new Sprint format regulations mandate that drivers use one set of Medium tyres in the first and second segments of the Shootout, and then a set of new Softs in SQ3.

Article 30.5, part four of the regulations states: "In the period SQ3 of the Sprint Shootout, up to one set of dry-weather tyres may be used, and this must only be a new set of the Soft specification."

Read also:

However, while that rule is clear, the regulations says nothing about compelling teams to save a set of new softs for SQ3.

This means that a driver can run through an entire allocation of soft tyres in Friday's qualifying session, but would be forced to sit out SQ3 the following day - should the driver reach the final segment on Saturday – due to not having a new set of softs at his disposal.

This was the calculated strategy chosen on Friday by McLaren and AlphaTauri who both opted to prioritise the positions of Norris and Tsunoda on Sunday's grid by using their entire allocation of soft tyres in qualifying.

The tactic paid off reasonably well for both drivers, with Norris starting Sunday's race from P7, just one position ahead of Tsunoda who will line up P8 on the grid.

"It was a conscious strategic decision to maximise the grand prix quali result," said a McLaren team spokesperson, quoted by Motorsport.com.

"There’s a lot more points to be scored on Sunday, so it’s the more important race to prioritise."

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Marko: ‘No chance at all’ for Red Bull in Las Vegas

Helmut Marko believes that Red Bull and Max Verstappen are unlikely to challenge for victory…

7 hours ago

GM revives bid to join F1 with accelerated talks for 2026 entry

Automotive giant General Motors is reportedly back in the game as a potential entrant in…

8 hours ago

Las Vegas GP: Thursday's action in pictures

The opening day of running at the Las Vegas GP was a smooth but chilly…

10 hours ago

Williams' headaches persist into Vegas practice

Williams is continuing to fight uphill battles this weekend in Las Vegas as a knock-on…

11 hours ago

Ferrari's Sainz 'not satisfied with where we are' in Vegas

It was a solid start to the Las Vegas weekend for Ferrari with Carlos Sainz…

12 hours ago

Norris labels McLaren long-run pace ‘shocking’ in chilly Vegas

Lando Norris didn’t hold back in his assessment of McLaren’s performance on the opening day…

13 hours ago