F1 China only one practise ?

[Dave.G6HNI]

What are Liberty & FIA up to with only one 1Hr practise session in China for the whole weekend ?

How can the teams prepare properly under such limited track time ?

While I'm not totally against a sprint race in theory, I don't think it should completly replace both free practse 2 & 3 sessions.

Free practise used to be 90 mins each, 270 mins in total, but now we only get 60 mins, it's just not enough !

Also the 1 point for fastest lap was a great idea, I don't understand why its been removed ?

[Dave.G6HNI]

When Sky first launched Race Control with the Driver Tracker, Team Radio, etc., it was available on a PC, but since then it has only been available on an iPad or via the Red button.

Well I want to watch the main live feed on my TV, so the Red button option is a non-starter and I don't want to hold a small screen in my hand for two hours. Having Race Control on my PC was ideal, it was a big enough screen to see easily and I didn't have to hold it in my hand.

So as Sky still create and transmit Race Control, Why-o-Why isn't it available on a PC ?

[Laing1]

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@Dave.G6HNI wrote:

What are Liberty & FIA up to with only one 1Hr practise session in China for the whole weekend ?

How can the teams prepare properly under such limited track time ?

While I'm not totally against a sprint race in theory, I don't think it should completly replace both free practse 2 & 3 sessions.

Free practise used to be 90 mins each, 270 mins in total, but now we only get 60 mins, it's just not enough !

Also the 1 point for fastest lap was a great idea, I don't understand why its been removed ?

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@Dave.G6HNI its because its a sprint weekend so instead of FP2 and FP3 there is the sprint Qualifying and the sprint race 

[Dave.G6HNI]

Did you not read what I wrote... ?

"While I'm not totally against a sprint race in theory, I don't think it should completly replace both free practse 2 & 3 sessions.

Free practise used to be 90 mins each, 270 mins in total, but now we only get 60 mins, it's just not enough !"

Telling me it's a Sprint Weekend is not only telling me something I already know, but is not actually offering anything constructive.

[Daniel0210]

@Dave.G6HNI 

You do know we're fellow customers giving up our time to try to help? 

[TimmyBGood]

@Dave.G6HNI 

Difficult to see how anyone but the FIA blazers could offer 'anything constructive', and arbitrary tinkering with rules and formats is more or less mandatory for such people...

Sadly, Mohammed Ahmad Sultan Ben Sulayem rarely posts in this forum.

[SKY1992bf]

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@TimmyBGood wrote:

@Dave.G6HNI 

Difficult to see how anyone but the FIA blazers could offer 'anything constructive', and arbitrary tinkering with rules and formats is more or less mandatory for such people...

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@Dave.G6HNI as above your questioning is best asked at the feet of the people that decide the rules and format which isn't sky

[MarkGoldsmith]

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@TimmyBGood wrote:

@Dave.G6HNI 

Difficult to see how anyone but the FIA blazers could offer 'anything constructive', and arbitrary tinkering with rules and formats is more or less mandatory for such people...

Sadly, Mohammed Ahmad Sultan Ben Sulayem rarely posts in this forum.

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And I'm pretty sure the decision makers at the FIA and FOM do this because it's better for them commercially. The sprint qualifying and races get far more viewers and social media engagement for them that free practice sessions ( which typically only the hardcore fans watch). The concept of the sprint race is popular with the "drive to survive" internet generation who are far more likely to find the time to watch 45 minutes worth of content which is competitive rather than watching 60 or 90 minute sessions with cars just driving around.

If FOM had it their way ( and didn't have to pay the teams more for the sprint weekends) I'm sure every race weekend would be structured in that way.

[Dave.G6HNI]

Also as there are now delays with the Air Freight at least four teams are unlikely to have received their cars in time for the one and only free practise !

So it might have to all be rescheduled anyhow !

[TimmyBGood]

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@Dave.G6HNI wrote:

So it might have to all be rescheduled anyhow !

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Or they could race those pit-lane scooters.

Might actually be more entertaining.

[AndrewF_UK]

I don't understand the removal of the fastest lap point either, I always thought that it added some additional interest towards the end of the race. 

[MarkGoldsmith]

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@AndrewF_UK wrote:

I don't understand the removal of the fastest lap point either, I always thought that it added some additional interest towards the end of the race. 

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There was an issue with the fastest lap point and that was the likes of Red Bull typically just pitting Perez with a few laps to go to put on new soft tyres in a bid to take the fastest lap point away from their competitors. Personally i always felt this ruined the entire reason for having the fastest lap point.

[lettice]

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@AndrewF_UK wrote:

I don't understand the removal of the fastest lap point either, I always thought that it added some additional interest towards the end of the race. 

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Think in my view it's good it has now gone. Never saw the point of it really.

Apart from, a driver with a bit of time to spare at end of a race, pitting just to change to a quicker set of tyres for one lap to get the fastest lap and single point.

It mostly was the top two manufacters of the fastest cars anyway that could achieve it, making it all a farce.

[AndrewF_UK]

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@MarkGoldsmith wrote:

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@AndrewF_UK wrote:

I don't understand the removal of the fastest lap point either, I always thought that it added some additional interest towards the end of the race. 

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There was an issue with the fastest lap point and that was the likes of Red Bull typically just pitting Perez with a few laps to go to put on new soft tyres in a bid to take the fastest lap point away from their competitors. Personally i always felt this ruined the entire reason for having the fastest lap point.

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Very true.

[Mr+Ramsden]

But it's a team sport,  I always loved the idea of 'stealing' fastest lap to give the team a better result overall.