Formula 1 has launched a fan survey in a bid to gauge interest in introducing reversed-grid Sprint Races at four grand prix in the 2021 season.
Championship officials wanted to bring in 30-minute races, in place of qualifying, at three events for 2020.
The grid for the Sprint Race would be determined by reverse championship order while the outcome of that race would then determine the line-up for the main grand prix.
But the proposal was rejected by teams and when the concept was floated for the second Austrian and British rounds of the coronavirus-hit 2020 campaign it was once more dismissed.
The idea reared its head earlier this month in the wake of the shaken-up Italian Grand Prix, in which several front-runners encountered setbacks.
Pierre Gasly beat Carlos Sainz to take victory, with Lance Stroll joining them on the podium, while World Champion Lewis Hamilton recovered from the back to finish seventh.
F1’s Fan Voice, which regularly runs surveys on behalf of the championship, has this week asked fans for their “thoughts and feelings about the potential for introducing a reversed-grid qualifying sprint race, 30 minutes in length, at four of the 22 Formula 1 races next season.”
“These changes are being considered in the context of limited changes coming in next year and with the ambition to mix up the grid on a Sunday to increase the excitement and unpredictability of a small selection of races.”
Among the questions asked were if the unpredictability of the race made it more enjoyable, whether watching Lewis Hamilton fight his way through the pack was engaging, and if fans enjoyed seeing drivers not normally competing at the front battling for the win.
It is understood that the most likely events to be selected are grands prix in France, Belgium, Italy and Russia.
Formula 1 drivers have been largely against the introduction of reversed-grid races, with four-time Sebastian Vettel saying the sport will have failed if they are brought in.
Formula 1 has also polled fans on the effectiveness of its End Racism statements and We Race As One branding, which was brought in amid global movements aimed at improving diversity.
It has also asked fans for their thoughts on how well Formula 1 has “coped in adjusting to the challenges faced due to Covid-19” and whether it has fared better or worse than other sports.
