Formula 1’s sprint races are undeniably one of the most divisive subjects that has been injected into the sport in recent years.
F1 bosses first introduced the sprint qualifying format in 2021, with three sprint weekends held throughout the season – the first being at the 2021 British Grand Prix from Silverstone followed by Monza and finally Sao Paulo.
With some minor tweaks to the format including points for the top three finishers, the sprint returned for three weekends in 2022. Coupled with the new regulation cars, it was hoped the sprint would be given a new lease of life – with three fresh tracks to test the format. And for the 2023 season, there will be a record-breaking six sprint races, despite mixed feedback from the drivers and fans alike.
The sprint was originally designed to offer more action on select race weekends with F1 managing director Ross Brawn saying the format was aimed at “young people who don’t want two-hour races” – but has F1 management lost sight of what the sprint format was designed to do?
F1’s chief technical officer Pat Symonds recently defended the sprint qualifying format, stating that it creates “races that people like” because of its unpredictability and capacity to bring competition to three days over the race weekend.
“With a normal grand prix weekend, Friday does not provide any competition and therefore, what’s the attraction of it? We’re here to compete,” Symonds said.
“In my view, it does it without the sideshow taking away from the main event and I think that’s important because a grand prix is what it’s all about.
“And by reducing the amount of time the teams have got to hone their cars, by putting in another error-generator in the sprint race, we have the chance to have a little bit of a more mixed up race.
“Those are the races that the people like.”
Symonds is right – the sprint format undoubtedly brings more action to Friday. What would normally be a pair of mundane practice sessions with little intrigue for the casual viewer, is replaced by an exciting qualifying session after first practice.
Albeit, there isn’t as much at stake when there is a sprint race a day later with the opportunity to recover from any mistakes before the grand prix, and not to mention the seemingly meaningless awkward and often-labelled-useless Saturday practice session that the format creates.
However, to say that the sprint format creates races that people like is a fabrication. The entertainment level is more dependent on the track layout, conditions and starting grid rather than the race itself.
The 2022 Imola edition was arguably one of the best sprints of the last season, the first sprint race under the new regulations. But the format was dependent on the unique circumstances of a mixed-weather qualifying and a battle off the line between the two championship contenders, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen.
As well, generally it has only been the top three teams that have had any chance of winning the points awarded for the top three positions, that is of course open to some exceptions in future rounds. But ultimately, while the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix offered another mixed weather dramatic race, the sprint the day before had little relevance to the entertainment of the grand prix. That said, we viewers were indulged in two dramatic races over the weekend.
But a key factor is that sprint races often feel like they finish just as the race is about to heat up. The first few laps are often exciting – as with any race – but the remainder is often subdued with the drivers and teams not wanting to compromise their starting position in the grand prix by getting involved in any risky battles.
This was a reality that was quickly realised for Carlos Sainz on Lap 1 of the Silverstone 2021 sprint, when he made contact with George Russell, resulting in Sainz falling further down the order. Despite Sainz’s misfortune in the sprint providing some added interest in the grand prix, the main story was the clash that happened within the grand prix, as the 2021 British Grand Prix became one of the main flashpoints of the title battle.
The sprint weekend doesn’t make races any more exciting than they already would be. It feels somewhat like a ‘grand prix on pause’ and although the race atmosphere eclipses a 60-minute practice outing, if teams don’t consider further changes to the format such as reverse grids, then the sprint experiment should be wound down.
The minimal format change of allowing DRS from the first lap will do little to detract from the opinion that six sprint races in one season is too many.
Ultimately, F1 bosses have lost sight of what the sprint was designed to do. A major reason why people have recently been drawn to F1 through is Drive To Survive and the stories that are packaged into a source of entertainment.
A regular grand prix race offers a full story, of excitement, intrigue and mishap (admittedly less sensationalised than Netflix’s offering) whereas the sprint often feels like an unfinished novel interrupted by a premature winners ceremony. As it has been pointed out repeatedly, it is not the length of a grand prix is not the biggest discouragement – it’s the price of being able to engage.
But ponder this as an idea – if the sprint is left in its current format, would it be best served as a free-to-air live event showcasing a snippet of the sport to a new audience?
