Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has revealed that Formula 1 is exploring the possibility of organizing a special race for rookie drivers in Abu Dhabi after the final round of the season.
The proposal, which has gained widespread support from the sport‘s teams, aims to provide young drivers with a valuable opportunity to showcase their potential and gain valuable experience at the wheel of F1 machinery.
Wolff emphasized that the primary motivation behind the novel idea is to give rookie drivers more track time without interfering with F1’s ongoing championship battles.
Furthermore, holding such an event earlier in the season would the risk of accidents impacting a team’s weekend or its title-contending drivers.
“We discussed it in the F1 Commission and I think we’re keen in giving rookie drivers more opportunity,” Wolff explained, quoted by RaceFans.
“The stretch is that if you give it to them on a grand prix race weekend, it’s going to impact the main drivers, or it could impact the main drivers’ performances.
“If you let them race on a main weekend, it could influence the race result, which could be pretty damaging if you’re fighting for a championship.”
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Wolff also pointed out that organizing a race after the season’s final round would allow the young drivers to go through the entire experience of a race weekend without any pressure on the championship.
“We didn’t find another way of letting them go through this whole sequence of a race weekend, pushing in the car, being able to make comparisons,” added the Austrian.
“With a day of racing in Abu Dhabi, they’re all going to be on the same fuel [loads], they’re all going to be on the same tyre and it will be interesting to see how they compare in those respective cars. And the season is finished.”
Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar.
While the concept was well-received, the logistical challenges faced by F1’s teams weren’t lost on Wolff.
“It’s going to be a strain for the team, obviously, because we have another day [of running],” he said. “But we are in the entertainment industry and that’s the best idea so far that we have come up to give them more driving time.”
According to Wolff, the proposal was met with unanimous approval at the F1 Commission, where each team has a vote.
“There was no one in the room that didn’t support the idea because we have all the same objectives. We want to give them more exposure, we want to give them running time and that is where we landed,” he explained.
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur also welcomed the idea, agreeing that the current opportunities for rookies to drive during race weekends are limited.
Under current F1 rules, teams are required to run drivers with fewer than three race starts in at least two practice sessions per season, but Vasseur believes this is insufficient.
Ferrari junior Robert Shwartzman.
“We were thinking to give them the opportunity to do more [first practice sessions], but they are doing already 14 [rounds] in F2,” said the Scuderia boss.
“On top of this, we have the sprint races where you can’t give [up] the FP1. Plus at some tracks, it’s not easy. We will never give up FP1 in Singapore or Monaco or Baku.
“It means that at the end of the day, we don’t have so many opportunities to give them the opportunity to test the car in the real condition and outside of the [testing of previous cars] system.
“I think this opportunity could be a good one to also give them the full weekend with a free practice, quali and start. For sure it’s not easy to organise and so on, but I’m supportive.”
If the plan comes to fruition, it would mark an important step in helping young talent transition to Formula 1 by giving them valuable race experience without the pressures of impacting the world championship.
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