Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc says that Lewis Hamilton’s charge in the Brazil Sprint Race at Autódromo José Carlos Pace is a good example for the potential of Formula 1 reverse grids.
The Mercedes driver started the Sprint Race from last place due to the fact that he was disqualified at the end of the qualifying session in São Paulo but took advantage of the speed of his Mercedes car and was able to recover from 20th to fifth, overtaking every non-Mercedes/Red Bull except for Scuderia Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who finished in third place at Interlagos.
The sprint format is a new concept Formula 1 has taken into consideration for some time now, with Brazil hosting the third and final experiment of the current championship. It started life as a proposal to introduce a reverse-grid race on Saturday. The grid would be set by reversing championship order, then the result of the race would determine the grid for Sunday’s grand prix.
Eventually this idea did not have the required support and as a result Formula One decided to change the format to the one being used in 2021: Friday qualifying that determines the starting positions for a 100km sprint race on Saturday, which then sets the grid for Sunday’s main event.
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But after Charles Leclerc was left “very surprised” Hamilton carved through the order so quickly, the Monehasque driver said a reverse-grid idea might work after all:
“Exactly, exactly. I think it was entertaining. Obviously I haven’t watched the race but seeing that he was so close to me after 20 laps already it feels like there’s potential for that. Seeing a fast car starting from the back and coming back that much, I think it could be exciting if many fast cars start from the back! We’ll have to see. I don’t know what the plans are but I’m pretty sure the FIA will look into it and try to find the best solution and the most exciting one, especially for Saturday.” – the Ferrari driver explained at the end of the Sprint Race in Brazil.
Former Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso explained the sprint trials have reaffirmed his original feeling that “if you put all the cars in order, they will finish as they started. We saw if you put a reverse order in or you spice things up like Hamilton, there will be a lot of action. So let’s see what they think for next year.” – he concluded.
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