Ferrari hopes that possible changes to the F1 sprint race will open the door to reverse grid lines

Monza will host the second F1 sprint race on Saturday after the format debuted at Silverstone. Qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix will take place on Friday evening.

F1 Motorsport Director Ross Brawn announced to Autosport this week that changes to the Sprint race weekend format are being evaluated.

One move could be for F1 to make next year’s sprint races stand-alone events, which means that the result of the Saturday 100km race would not define the starting grid for the Sunday Grand Prix as it currently does, but rather define it from an element of qualifying moved away.

This individual sprint race could lead to a higher number of points for the first placed than the current 3-2-1 format, as it would not affect the starting position for Sunday.

When asked about the proposal during Friday’s FIA press conference, Binotto thought it was good that F1 bosses were “open minded” to proposals, and hoped that this could lead to the introduction of reverse grids.

“I’m very happy, I can hear there are different suggestions from drivers,” said Binotto.

“I think having a mini race on Saturday with the grid reversed compared to the championship, I think any idea can be interesting.

“But I think it’s too early to really judge and decide.”

F1 considered running reverse-grid qualifying races at double-header events last year just so Mercedes would stop the idea from getting through.

Binotto has been a proponent of introducing some sort of reverse grid format into F1 over the past few years, and said Friday he believed it would be entertainment if the championship leaders started at the back.

“I think it may be of interest to the show and the spectacle,” said Binotto.

“At the very beginning of the discussion about the mini racing format, we as Ferrari were the ones who suggested it.

“Because I think whatever your position in the ranking is, it’ll add an extra layer of spectacle, and that’s important for our fans.

“It’s important to the entertainment that F1 can provide.”