The upcoming Formula 1 race weekend from Baku will see “mayhem” amid the sprint format, believes Williams Team Principal James Vowles.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix later this month will see mark the first event this year with the alternate weekend schedule in play.
Williams enters the event hoping to continue the strong form it displayed in the opening rounds, which included a run to 10th place in Jeddah.
“We’re three rounds through this 23-race season, and encouraging is the primary word that comes to mind. We’ve been there or thereabouts in the ability to fight for points at every single one of those rounds so far,” Vowles said.
“That will continue as we go forward at the next few races. We have Baku coming up, a track that should suit the capabilities of our car.
“While we sit here 10th in the championship with just a point to our name, it’s not a fair reflection of the work that has gone into this car so far this year and the tendency, or the performance that the car certainly can have on track.”
It is also likely that the sprint weekend format will be re-jigged for Baku, with the sprint race no longer setting the grid for Sunday’s grand prix.
New plans that are being discussed would see two qualifying sessions, one each for the two races during the weekend.
As that would bring less practice time and more opportunities for teams around a circuit that has caused havoc in the past, Vowles believes that it could be a chaotic weekend.
“What we have now coming up at the end of April is Baku, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix,” he said.
“It’s going to be a sprint race weekend, potentially with slight modifications to the rules that we’ve had previously.
“That work is now ongoing in the background to understand how we should restructure that race weekend and what the implications that will be on everyone.
“Irrespective of whether the rules change or not, a sprint race weekend at that tight, twisty track where you go through the castle section is going to cause a little bit of mayhem.
“There’s going to be difficulties. Irrespective of that, that’s the preparation we’ve got to do going forward.”
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