(Motorsport) Formula 1 Managing Director Ross Brawn has said that F1 could see more sprint format races in the upcoming 2022 season as they are looking to take “progressive rather than radical steps” with the format. Brawn has said that there is no reason why having a one-third distance race in addition to qualifying and the Grand Prix not be used for all Formula 1 events in the future.
Formula 1 has already agreed in principle with the teams and the governing body FIA to increase the number of sprint events to six next year and are looking to modify the format based on the learnings from this year. Brawn said “It's open. It could evolve that way, but if it does, it will be because it's the best thing to do. We are taking it carefully step by step and off the back of six you can decide whether you want to increase the number. I don't think we should be afraid of doing that because, if we did that, it would be a measure of the success of the sprint. And if that is the format for the future then we have gone about it the right way. Equally, we may conclude that having it as a showcase event adds interest to the season.”
The sprint format was first introduced this season at three Grand Prix events to add some extra entertainment to race weekends. In this format, the qualifying is moved to Friday which determines the grid positions for the sprint on Saturday. The mini race covers one third of the distance of the Grand Prix with the results determining the grid positions for the main race on Sunday. The sprint format was implemented at the British and Italian Grand Prix with the third set to happen in Brazil this month.
In comparison to the sprint events this year, the learnings from the format has been that awarding pole position to the winner of the sprint race instead of fastest driver over one lap has not been a popular choice amongst both the fans and the drivers. The number of points awarded is likely to increase for next year to ensure drivers are more motivated to go for it and improve the competitiveness of the sprint races. Another possibility that’s being considered is to have the ‘sprint’ as a completely stand alone event with the qualification determining the grid positions as usual and the sprint grid being determined in another way.
While the venue for the six sprint races is undecided for next year, radical changes are unlikely in the format as Formula 1 has already introduced a major change in technical rules for 2022 to ensure more entertaining races. Brawn said “The overall weekend has improved so much we will go with it, but we are discussing with the teams how to make a bit more Saturday more challenging and engaging. We are going to be relatively conservative in the steps we've made. We don't want to spoil it by overstepping and people feeling it's gone too far."
On a standard race weekend, there is only two hours of free practice but with the sprint format, the day has become a lot more relevant. Brawn said “To be frank, we've had a bigger impact on Friday than we anticipated, that's why we're doing this experiment. Talking to the drivers about the sprint, they've said Friday is great now because they get in and get an hour of practice and they have to go for it. Friday had pretty uniform support from most of the drivers. The only ones who were a little apprehensive were the rookies who didn't get as much running as they might have enjoyed."
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