F1 could scrap 'two by two' race grid

Oct.24 - F1 owner Liberty is considering shaking up the sport's traditional weekend format.

In Austin, the pre-race proceedings were suddenly changed when the pitlane was opened earlier to allow legendary announcer Michael Buffer to introduce the drivers in Indy 500 style.

Not just that, Usain Bolt spiced up the waving of the green flag.

"We want formula one to cross the boundary between sport and show," said Liberty's F1 commercial boss Sean Bratches.

Now, the next innovations are being planned.

Sporting boss Ross Brawn has been quoted by F1 business journalist Christian Sylt as saying Friday practice sessions could be axed in future, making room for more races on the calendar.

"One of the things we are doing is looking at the format of a race weekend to see if we need to change that to make it logistically easier for them (the teams) to do more races," Brawn is quoted by Forbes.

And Germany's Bild newspaper reports that another idea being discussed is a shake-up of the traditional 'two by two' formation on the race grid.

The report said the grid rows in the future could alternate between two and three cars, increasing competition and the risk of a crash.

"We are looking for ways to offer fans more," F1 chief executive Chase Carey said.

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