Hungarian GP set for NEW qualifying format that will make teams suffer

Verstappen, Hungary, start — Photo: © LAT Images

Hungarian Grand Prix

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Hungarian GP set for NEW qualifying format that will make teams suffer

Formula 1 and Pirelli finally get a chance to trial new format, originally set to debut at the cancelled Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Shay Rogers

Sunday 16 July 2023 13:27

The Hungarian Grand Prix is set to introduce a new qualifying format, with a reduction in tyre allocation and change in the rules across Saturday’s session.

The alterations mean that the teams receive just 11 sets of tyres instead of 13 across the weekend, helping Formula 1 to reduce its environmental impact from both a transportation and production aspect.

However, if weather curtails the test, then the Italian Grand Prix in September is also set to play host to the Alternative Tyre Allocation (ATA).

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Any disturbance this weekend wouldn't be the first time that the format has been disrupted, with the cancelled Emilia Romagna Grand Prix originally set to play host to the changes in May until tragic floods ripped through the region.

Skewed reality for teams

Part of the new format is the rule that the hard tyres must be ran in Q1, medium in Q2 and the soft tyres in Q3. In the event of rain, any compound may be used.

The problem for the teams is that some struggle with firing up the harder compounds more than others, which could make for a mixed grid on Sunday’s Grand Prix, if they continue to fail to warm up their tyres quick enough.

Most recently, McLaren’s Lando Norris held off a late charge from Lewis Hamilton on the soft tyres at the British Grand Prix, despite struggling to warm his tyres up after the safety car period ended.

We will have to wait until next weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix to see whether the ATA works, but anything which helps to shake up the F1 pack during a period of dominance is bound to be welcomed by all.