F1 has announced that qualifying for the sport's first ever Sprint Qualifying will take place in the evening.

FP1 will take place between 14:30 and 15:30 on Friday 16 July, with qualifying taking place between 18:00 and 19:00.

FP2 will take place on Saturday between 12:00 and 13:00, while the first ever Sprint Qualifying 'race' will get underway at 16:30.

The British Grand Prix will get underway at 15:00 on Sunday 18 July.

The schedule change is obviously to accommodate the fact that adopting the usual session timings would mean that those people working on Friday, or at school, would miss the qualifying session.

"Sprint Qualifying will be run over 100km and lasting around 25-30 minutes," confirmed Formula One Management, according to the sport's official website. "It is designed to provide a short and fast-paced racing spectacle - similar to a Twenty20 cricket match - with drivers racing flat-out from start to finish without the need to pit.

"Points will be awarded to the top three finishers, three for the winner down to one point for third."

In a bid to preserve the importance and exclusivity of the Grand Prix, there will be no podium ceremony following the Sprint Qualifying.

However the winner will be presented with a trophy in Parc Ferme, similar manner to the tyre the pole-sitter is currently awarded by Pirelli after qualifying.

As previously reported, the finishing order of the Sprint Qualifying event will define the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Endre, 17/05/2021 14:46

"The new overlords of F1 are so mentally challenged now that they cant even figure out time zones? What difference does it make with a Global sport to move qualifying to Friday afternoon? It will help in the EU but makes no difference for the Americas or Asia and Australia. The only good solution is NOT to have qualifying on a Friday. There is a reason why the 2pm or 3pm CET time works. While it requires some sacrifices, people can still watch live all around the World. Early morning in the Americas and late evening in Australia, but doable."

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2. Posted by kenji, 17/05/2021 13:09

"Will I actually get up at 3.00am? There's a distinct possibility that I will opt for a replay rather than that."

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3. Posted by TokyoAussie, 17/05/2021 4:22

"I can think of a thousand things they could do. This idea would not be on my list."

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4. Posted by @R1Racing71, 16/05/2021 21:29

"What Bill said.
Give this a chance. I think they have got this one right. "

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5. Posted by Bill Hopgood, 16/05/2021 20:11

"Let's see how this pans out.
The timezone is a good idea for TV (not marshals or those that have had a full day trackside already and need to get home) particularly for those of us a large number of hours ahead of the UK."

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6. Posted by @R1Racing71, 16/05/2021 15:36

"I think this is actually going to work. "

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7. Posted by Tom2681, 15/05/2021 13:34

"Anyone else feel that F1 is dead, and that its owners are just parading its corpse around?"

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8. Posted by KKK, 15/05/2021 12:17

"Best way to ruin an F1 race. All I ask is "WHY"?"

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Silverstone qualifying to take place in the evening

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