Formula One news

Two-day weekend is 'okay' - Panis

Newly retired grand prix racer Olivier Panis reckons F1 teams could get on 'perfectly okay' with a shorter weekend. At Suzuka, incidentally the Frenchman's last ever race in Formula One before becoming a test driver, the two-day format was trialled unintentionally due to a severe weather warning. "We proved that a two-day weekend is certainly feasible," said the 38-year-old, who will leave world champion Michael Schumacher as the oldest driver on the grid next season.

Panis admitted that the loss of Friday practice, and a crammed qualifying the following day, would definitely leave teams under 'additional pressure' and with less media coverage. He said: "And we would need to ensure we had sufficient running prior to the qualifying session."

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