Lewis Hamilton appears to be in favour of the sprint race format. Picture: AFP
Last weekend’s Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix initiated the new format for sprint race weekends, and what a strange weekend it was.
Watching one valuable hour of practice on Friday morning then qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix was bizarre, then Saturday’s sprint qualifying in the morning and the sprint race that afternoon.
Sunday, thankfully, was normal with the Grand Prix as the only event for the day.
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Not everyone, including drivers, teams and pundits were enamoured with the programme.
Lewis Hamilton appeared to be in favour of the F1 format, but added that he had some issues with just one practice session. He was reported as saying it was like “a practice session, but there are points at the end of it”.
His Mercedes teammate, George Russell, was excited by the new format but said: “I hope it doesn’t dilute the excitement for a Sunday for the fans.
“For us it’s obviously fun because you’re driving flat out more often, but I think we need to listen to what the people at home think. Ultimately, we’re here to put on a show for them.”
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Aston Martin F1’s Lance Stroll following his eighth position in the sprint, was quoted as saying: “That was a hard-earned point, but I enjoyed the new format today.
“Every time we go out on the track, there is something to fight for. It keeps us on our toes and I think it is exciting for fans, too.”
William’s Alex Albon was not as enthusiastic and was reported as saying: “I’m on the fence with the sprint race. It is rewarding the top four teams and they’re already a step ahead of everyone else.
“It was a great race for us, but we just don’t have the pace compared to them.
“So unfortunately no reward for today and we’ll shift our focus to tomorrow. It’s frustrating to be sitting out of the points in the sprint. P9 in a normal race would mean points and be an excellent result for us.”
My opinion, for what it’s worth, simple, I’m a purist.
But the Grand Prix certainly excited me. The battle between Red Bull team-mates Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez as they left the field in their wake resulting in Checo’s victory bodes well for a great chase for the F1 title.
Perhaps this will be the year for a celebratory Mexican wave.
The next F1 race is on Sunday in Miami.
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