Ben Sulayem expresses crucial support for reform: 'Good for sport'

Mohammed ben Sulayem, the leader of global motorsport, has given his crucial backing to the radical reform of Formula 1's race weekend schedule. How the FIA president feels about the revolutionary proposals was unknown until he told Daily Mail on Saturday night: "The sprint is good for the sport."

With his implied blessing, it is now almost certain that a new format will be created this week, with the support of the teams. If approved, the schedule will run over six weekends this year, starting with Baku in late April. Austria, Belgium, Qatar, America (Austin) and Brazil will then be the other sprint venues.

The sprint format

According to F1 chief Stefano Domenicali's proposals, the six already designated 'sprint race' weekends will look as follows: Friday: one practice session, followed by qualifying for Sunday's Grand Prix.

Saturday will be 'Sprint Saturday'. This day starts with qualifying to determine the starting order for the sprint race, which takes place that afternoon over one-third of the Grand Prix distance. Sunday will remain as it is now with the Grand Prix itself.