Dr. Helmut Marko, along with much of the Formula 1 community, was caught off guard by the announcement that the proposed 'rookie race' will no longer take place later this year.
Before the F1 Commission gathered at the Red Bull-owned AlphaTauri headquarters in Faenza, Italy, on Wednesday, Speed Week published a column by Marko, where he discussed the expectations for Red Bull's junior drivers.
"We have strong rookies in our junior squad, such as Ayumu Iwasa and Isack Hadjar," Marko wrote.
"We will use them in the rookie sprint, which is to be held on the rookie test day after the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Then we will see how it goes for them."
The idea of a rookie race was championed by Red Bull and had garnered unanimous support from teams up and down the pitlane.
"It's something I tabled at the last couple of Formula 1 Commissions because I think it's great for the young drivers," said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner recently.
"It comes at the end of a busy season, but opposed to just running around burning fuel and tyres, to give 10 rookies the opportunity of jumping in the current cars and having the equivalent of a sprint race, I think is fantastic."
"I think it'll be a really popular event," Horner added.
However, during the F1 Commission meeting on Wednesday, the rookie race proposal ultimately collapsed due to logistical challenges.
"While the concept received widespread support, it was determined that due to timing and organisational constraints, the event would not take place in 2024," the FIA announced in an official statement.
"Discussions will continue to formulate a potential concept and plan for 2025." body check tags ::
