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Formula 1 has deferred plans for a post-season rookie-only sprint race until at least 2025.
As revealed by The Race, advanced plans were in place to add a mini-event specifically for young drivers in the days after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale.
This would have involved practice, qualifying and a sprint race, where the 10 F1 teams would be obliged to run a single car.
The idea was tabled by Red Bull team principal Christian Horner at an F1 Commission meeting and received initial support from F1, the FIA and the teams themselves.
The end of the 2025 season was initially thought a more likely target considering the commercial and logistical challenges of putting on such an event for the first time, but in the past month the idea appeared to be heading for a green light for 2024.
Horner said there was a "clear directive" to stage the race at the end of the current campaign and that it was "eminently doable" when asked by The Race how much had been resolved since the idea was first proposed.
But the race will not take place this year after all, a decision that was announced following the latest F1 Commission meeting on Wednesday.
A statement released by the FIA following that meeting reiterated that the concept had "widespread support" but said it will not take place this year "due to timing and organisational constraints".
While F1's sprint race regulations were thought likely to be the basis for the sporting rules, factors that were being considered included engine component limitations - a normal F1 season is governed by a budget cap, which this falls outside of - who pays for the extra personnel required for a race event rather than a post-season test, which this was set to replace, and establishing the criteria for which drivers would be allowed to take part.
2026 rules amended
The FIA's statement also said that "a number" of amendments have been made to F1's 2026 technical regulations following discussions in Technical Advisory Committee meetings.
While no specifics were mentioned, these amendments relate to performance, aerodynamics and safety.
The FIA said these changes "involve an increase of the expected aerodynamic performance of the cars following extensive collaboration".
Teams have expressed concerns about the 2026 regulations, including how dramatically F1 cars' performance profiles will change between rulesets.
A 55% reduction in drag and 30% reduction in downforce is planned for 2026, something that will be achieved by a combination of altered car dimensions, new engines, overhauled active aerodynamics and a reduction in the power of the ground effect through changes to the floor and diffuser.
The initial version released in June was described at the time by single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis as the "most restrictive" form of the regulations.
In addition, the sporting regulations have undergone a "significant revamp" so as to simplify them.
