Fixing Formula 1’s Sprint Problem
FAO Ross Brawn, Stefano Domenicali and Liberty Media
Alright, okay, so we’ve only seen two Sprint Qualifying sessions and that’s quite obviously not a whole lot many. But, both have been pretty poor spectacles in their own right. However, the consequences of the mixed up weekend has led to two entertaining Sunday races.
What we’ve learned from the two attempts, at Silverstone and Monza, is that the reduced practice time and the few jumbled up positions from the opening laps of the Sprint have combined to create conditions for good Grands Prix.
The Spint’s biggest problem has been that after that first lap, nothing really happens in the following 15-16.
Of course, the other big problem that Sprint has encountered is that they’ve chosen two circuits that don’t really suit the current generation of cars.
Silverstone and Monza should, in theory, be very easy places to overtake because there are plenty of obvious places on the track that look ideal for doing so. But, the effect of dirty air has had a greater impact there than at some of the other tracks on the 2021 calendar.
The third Sprint, set to take place in Brazil, might be more exciting because we have seen in the past that Interlagos has suited these cars better for good racing. That will be the better test of the Sprint concept as it is.
Naturally, too, as Formula One continues to experiment with this format in 2022 and beyond we will get a better idea of how good an idea it is when the cars are better tuned for close racing.
Because, as it is now, a car needs a significant advantage to be able to pass. That advantage can sometimes be as much as two seconds a lap quicker than the car in front — and even then we’ve seen that be not enough to make a pass, e.g. Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton’s battle at Hungary.
That hopefully will no longer be the case from 2022.
So, does that mean we should stick with the Sprint format as it is now and hope that the new cars next year have the desired effect? Because, the other element to the Sprint has been that the element of risk in trying an overtaking manoeuvre just doesn’t really seem worth it.
Why put everything on the line when the difference between starting 10th and 11 is negligible — frankly, 11th might even be better on certain tracks due to being on the cleaner side.
The likes of Ross Brawn and Stefano Domenicali, Technical Director and CEO of F1 respectively, have also made it quite clear in the past that reversing the grid for the Sprint isn’t an option.
The only situation where a reversed grid seems likely is in the case that the Sprint becomes an independent event of its own. This would mean that the Friday qualifying sets the grid for Sunday, but a reversed grid competes on Saturday for reduced points. But, at that point, how different does F1 become from the likes of F2 and F3?
The feeder series’ use this format to give everyone experience racing to get ready for F1. The pinnacle of motorsport shouldn’t be changing formats to be more like its feeder series.
And crucially, as Martin Brundle rightly pointed out quite a lot when the current format was announced, we don’t want a championship decided on a Saturday.
But what if there was another way? What if we didn’t need the Sprint format at all?
The current normal weekend format did look to be infallible and has been flawless for 15 years, but maybe this shakeup has shown that there can be another way.
Brawn is right in respect to Fridays. Two Practice sessions where cars aren’t on the limit or fighting for anything tangible isn’t exactly a great way to sell tickets. Of course, just seeing the cars in-person can be amazing, but we all watch for the competition as well as the spectacle.
Moving Qualifying to Friday has been genuinely quite good. Having it on in the evening and then having two more days worth of F1 to look forward to has been fun.
But what if Qualifying lasted two days again? This is how it used to work until 1996.
Under this proposed change, Q1 and Q2 would take place as it does under the current Sprint format conditions — Soft tyres only, and free choice for Race start on Sunday for all drivers.
The top 10 that go through to Q3 must wait until Saturday to find out who takes pole position.
However, it wouldn’t be quite that simple, because it never is in F1.
The order of the top 10 at the end of Q2 on Friday would also set the start time for each driver’s Q3 run.
So, if you finish 10th and just barely scrape through then you go out first on Sunday. That car takes to the empty track all by themselves and sets a lap.
Meanwhile, the person who finished ninth waits at the end of the pitlane for the first hot lap to start before they take to the circuit. They do their warm-up lap while the first car ahead does their timed lap.
This means that once we get started, there will be a continuous flow of cars on track setting times. It also eats up more airtime than the usual 12-minute format for Q3 that involves cars waiting around for five minutes in between runs.
This can be fine-tuned, that I fully admit. Do we want cars doing one run or two? Should we prioritise good track conditions for the quickest in Q2 or maybe even the playing field by having the quickest car go out first — and thus have worse track conditions than whoever goes out last.
But, most importantly, this format solves the problem of making everyday relevant and entertaining. It keeps the importance of pace over one-lap, which is a thrilling element of the sport that fans love.
It also feels way less gimmicky. If a driver goes off during the Sprint, as seen by Sergio Perez and Pierre Gasly, it ruins their race and all the work they did the day before in qualifying.
This kind of punishment feels manufactured because at least if it happens in a race, that is just the end of their weekend and that’s racing. But having it happening in qualifying does leave a more sour taste, knowing they have to start last the next day.
This plan is also off the back of only two Sprint weekends taking place. It is worthwhile seeing how the third plays out in Brazil, and how the format works under new regulations next season. But, if Brawn or Domenicali are reading, keep in mind this piece for future reference.
P.S. to those two, slide into my Twitter DMs for any royalty cheques that will inevitably be coming my way.
