Saturday sprint races can spice up Formula 1

Last week, I offered my take on the proposed sprint race and the possibility of it becoming part of the Grand Prix weekend.

New F1 chief Stefano Domenicali solidly promoted the concept of more track time for the “rookies”, as he refers to young drivers who are already actively involved in F1 as test drivers, simulator jockeys and reserve drivers. Apparently the idea would be put to the test during the 2021 season.

Three rounds of the championship have already been selected as test beds: Canada, Italy and Brazil – and the format is somewhat different to the original. According to various media releases, the suggestion is for Friday’s free practice 2 to be replaced by a qualifying session for Saturday’s sprint race.

The sprint race would cover a distance of approximately one third of the distance of the Grand Prix and the result would determine the grid for the next day’s Grand Prix. Also mentioned was a reduced points system for the top eight finishers in the sprint race.

After last Thursday’s virtual meeting of the F1 Commission a statement from FIA reported there was a “broad support from all parties” for the sprint race. It confirmed all 10 teams, “recognised the major importance of engaging fans in new and innovative ways to ensure an even more exciting weekend format”.

The statement also said a working group was established and was to reach a final decision before the start of the 2021 season. All well and good, but yours truly is more confused than ever. Just a week or so back Domenicali announced the “reverse grid” qualifying idea was gone for good. He was reported as saying: “Reverse grid is over, that I can tell you. While such new ideas could be attractive or interesting, we don’t have to lose the traditional approach of racing.”

He continued. “When we were changing qualifying every two days, we burnt our fingers, and we need to avoid that. Now I think the formula is quite stable.” If all is “stable” within the context of qualifying, why is it the very area that is mooted for change yet again? If the proposed sprint race qualifying session is set to replace FP2, and the race scheduled for Saturday what will be the fate of FP3, the one-hour session currently run before qualifying?

The sprint race would mean all the current F1 drivers would be involved and there would certainly be no space for the “rookies”. Would the points for the first eight competitors in the sprint race count towards the F1 championship for both Drivers and Manufacturers?

The sprint race result would probably reflect the same names as the Grand Prix, with teams such as Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren filling the first six places. If that is the case and points are added to the championship table, this surely must result in an even wider gap from the front of the field to the midfield and back end competitors, somewhat discouraging for those aspiring to improve.

It will be interesting to read the results from the working group and if the format is approved, how the points system, reduced practice time, increased hours on the power units’ lifespan and “rookie” experience will be accommodated. Hopefully the burnt fingers will not reappear.

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