F1 To Test New Qualifying Format In 2023: Here's What We Know

Qualifying is getting a refresh for two races this season.

F1 intends to put to the test a new qualifying format in the forthcoming 2023 season. 

This year, two racing weekends will serve as a litmus test for this new and innovative format. Mario Isola, Pirelli's motorsport manager talking with GPBlog, shed light on how this pioneering system will operate.

Pirelli, last year, revealed its plan to experiment with a new qualifying format during the 2023 season. Although the current format has been a success since 2006, F1 remains committed to upgrading and optimising the system. This is what was said by Isola:

''We will have two races. Those have not been announced yet, but that will happen soon,'' Pirelli told GPBlog.

"On those race weekends, the number of slicks available to drivers will be 11 instead of 13. With this alternative tyre selection, we will have the hard tyre for Q1, the medium tyre for Q2 and the soft tyre for Q3, with two sets of each tyre. In qualifying, conditions will then be the same for everyone.''

This will be an interesting change to the format and will add another layer of strategy from teams. As expected, each stage of qualifying will bring faster lap times, with the hard and medium tyres also adding, arguably, more excitement to the process for fans. 

It's a weird one, for sure. But we'll analyse the results once we see these race weekend - yet to be unveiled.