The Brazilian Grand Prix will be Formula 1’s sixth and final Sprint weekend of the 2023 season, yet drivers’ opinions remain split on the format.
Introduced in 2021, F1’s Sprints had once served to set the grid for the main grands prix, however the revision and expansion of the format for 2023 has seen the creation of an effective standalone Sprint Saturday.
The current system offers drivers just one hour of free practice on a Friday, before qualifying for the grand prix and entering parc ferme conditions for the remainder of the weekend.
With cars widely locked in in terms of set-up, Saturdays see a truncated Sprint Shootout qualifying session determine a second grid for the 100km Sprint itself.
In theory, the Sprint format should add excitement to a grand prix weekend, providing fans more action and for those in attendance with something to play for on each day.
While in some cases such as Austria and Qatar this year, the format has done just that, the Sprint typically serves as a forecast for the main event.
That sentiment was shared by Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz who on Thursday said: “Saturday’s too revealing of what’s going to happen on Sunday.
“It is basically the first stint of the race of Sunday, what you’re watching on TV, and this doesn’t help.
“The main race is the Grand Prix. So if you’ve arrived to that point, you’d better try something else on Saturday.
“Is that reverse grids? Is that single lap qualifying? I don’t know. But I think given that the sprint format is a bit of an experiment going on right now in Formula 1, I would be open to keep experimenting.
“For me, the one we have now, it’s just Saturday doesn’t feel completely right for what then comes on Sunday.”
While Sainz’s team-mate, Charles Leclerc, is not necessarily opposed to the format, he is keen to see it’s use limited.
“I quite like it. I like the fact of having only one free practice session. I don’t think we should have more than six Sprint weekends in a year,” he said.
“I think six is good. But to have one free practice and go straight to qualifying is something I enjoy. I think the Saturday could be changed and improved but I really like the Friday, to not have three free practice sessions is really long and sometimes it can get a bit boring.”
A number of drivers shared similar views on the Saturday schedule including Lewis Hamilton.
“Saturday is not the greatest of days but I like the single practice session and straight into quali,” the Mercedes driver said.
“I think we can learn. I love that we do have a different format rather than just the same three practice sessions and then the quali and the race.
“But the best sprint race I ever had [Brazil 2021] was when I started last so I’m in favour of the swap in order [Reverse grids]. Except if we had that, then everyone would just try and qualify last.”
AlphaTauri’s Daniel Ricciardo urged F1 to not follow the path taken by MotoGP in making sprint races a mainstay, opting to keep the conventional format if it was a case of one or the other, but welcomed Sprints at “half a dozen” weekends to “add a little bit of spice”.
Lance Stroll was one driver to defend the format, however, citing: “I think it’s exciting. Every time you get in the car there’s something to fight for and more action for everyone watching back home too.
“I felt like last week, after having the sprint in Austin and then going to Mexico and kind of having that more normal weekend, I felt like there was a lot of practice and just Friday was a long day and Austin was kind of just full-on.
“Every session, [there’s] something to fight for and I think it was a much more exciting weekend than Mexico. So I definitely think it spices things up and makes it interesting for everyone watching at home.”
Valtteri Bottas was another driver who made his support for the Sprints clear, mainly due to the reduction in practice time.
“Always I’ve never been a big fan of three practice sessions, I prefer to have one and then straight to action. So that’s the nice side of sprint weekend,” the Finn said.
“Obviously there’s always things that could be changed. For example for us as a team at the moment, unfortunately, it is only the top eight that can score in the sprints so most often it’s a bit of a long shot at the moment for us, which is not ideal. But of course it depends in which car you are. Other than that, I’m more than happy to do a sprint.”
Logan Sargeant agreed that for the lower performing teams, in it’s current state the format offers little reward. He also expressed that for rookies “it’s not preferred” to miss out on two-thirds of the practice running drivers would normally receive.
Reigning champion Max Verstappen, perhaps the most vocal critic of the Sprint setting, responded sarcastically when asked for his reflections: “Yeah, it’s been absolutely fantastic. So much fun… I get so excited by having a Sprint again. I’m all for it.”
