F1 | Stefano Domenicali is against free practice. The comment by Gian Carlo Minardi

Holding court these days – and causing not a little discussion – were the declarations by Stefano Domenicali, the CEO of the Formula One Group, who envisioned a Formula 1 without the sessions dedicated to free practice, not of great interest for the public. All to the benefit of a greater spectacle.

On the occasion of the presentation of the Australian Grand Prix, the third round of the Formula 1 World Championship we asked Gian Carlo Minardi for his opinion.

“Right now the regulations need to be reviewed, also to avoid unpleasant situations such as happened two weeks ago in Saudi Arabia. If we talk about formats, I am convinced that the entire programme could be focussed on the days of Saturday and Sunday. The Friday could be left at the disposition of the fans and the much acclaimed show. Domenicali is right: the public wants to see the action and currently Friday is more “tired” also on the ticket sale front. Because of the high cost of the tickets people do not want to or cannot lose a day of work for Formula 1 and so they can concentrate the efforts on the other two days”.

What could be the recipe? “Friday can be dedicated to visiting the pits and meeting the drivers. Purely for entertainment and with the engines off. And then Saturday and Sunday everyone on the track with a succession of free practice, qualifying and race”