Formula 1 chief Ross Brawn says Sprint could be made separate to Sunday’s main grand prix if the format is revised for the 2022 season.
Formula 1 is in the midst of its second of three trials of the Sprint weekend format for 2021, with the final experiment due to take place in Brazil.
Under the current format the regular qualifying session is shifted to Friday while the outcome of Sprint determines the grid for Sunday’s grand prix.
Points of 3-2-1 are awarded only for the top three finishers of Sprint.
Brawn has suggested that one potential format tweak for 2022 is for Sprint to be split from the grand prix itself while also awarding more rewards for other drivers.
“We had a session with the drivers after Silverstone and I must say they were very positive,” he said.
“Some of them felt there should be more reward for the sprint, there should be more jeopardy in the sprint, and I think if we’re doing that then maybe a standalone event is a consideration.
“So I think qualifying on a Friday, race on a Sunday, but a standalone event with some decent reward but maybe a little bit of jeopardy in the grid of how you start it.
“But we have to be conscious, we don’t want gimmicks, we don’t want an artificial [outcome], we don’t want to affect the integrity [of the championship], but there’s a definitely potential there.”
Brawn added that Formula 1 has seen a “strong increase” in fan engagement surrounding Sprint but is wary of drawing a definitive conclusion too prematurely.
“Do we make this a grand slam event for five or six races or do we do more of it?”
“What we are seeing is a strong increase in fan engagement. More people are watching a race weekend than we had before.
“Does that tail off if we do it all the time? Is it something we can maintain? Lots of decisions to make and work to be done.”
