While the four-race format will stay in place, a new four-part qualifying system will replace the single 30-minute session used in 2016.

Each of the four 10-minute segments will determine the grid for one of the races – Q1 for Race 1, Q2 for Race 2 and so on – while the gaps between Q1 and Q2, and Q3 and Q4, will be just five minutes long. Refuelling will only be allowed during the 15-minute break between Q2 and Q3.

The system is being put in place to create a rapid-fire style spectacle, and to limit the chances of a single driver starting all four races from pole position.

The new format doesn’t just replace the 30-minute qualifying session, but also the progressive grid system used in previous years where each starting order was based on results from the previous race.

The four races will be contested over either 30 minutes or 13 laps, with two on Friday and one each on Saturday and Sunday.