Is Formula 1 preparing to follow MotoGP’s direction? The Sprint Race, present in both categories, seems to be popular, and Stefano Domenicali hasn’t ruled out the possibility of holding it every race weekend in Formula 1.
Since its introduction in 2021, the Sprint format has always sparked debate. Not all fans have appreciated it, and even the drivers have voiced some criticisms.
This year, however, there have been important changes that seem to be working. In an interview with Motorsport.it, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali addressed the topic of Sprint Races. The former Ferrari team principal did not rule out the possibility of extending them to all race weekends, just like in MotoGP.
“The numbers tell us that sprint weekends are popular,” explained Stefano Domenicali. “We know there’s also a more traditionalist segment of the audience that has followed Formula 1 for a long time and doesn’t particularly like this format, but in terms of attractiveness, there’s no doubt that the sprint path is the right one.”
“I believe the format change introduced this year has met the requests of the ‘traditionalists.’ This keeps the qualifying on Saturday afternoon and opens the parc fermé after the sprint race.” – he pointed out.
“From my side, I’m waiting for the end of this season to evaluate the feedback, but I don’t think we’ll go back. MotoGP made a radical move, introducing the sprint race in every weekend, while we want to approach it gradually. However, I’m convinced that a Friday without any official standings loses some appeal compared to sprint Fridays, which feature a qualifying session.” – he continued.
“Again, our approach has been cautious to understand if this was the right direction,” concluded Stefano Domenicali. “We have corrected some issues that emerged in previous years, and at the end of this season, I think we’ll need to assess whether to pursue this direction more decisively. We’ll also evaluate the impact such a choice could have in terms of the budget cap, a problem MotoGP doesn’t have.” – the former Ferrari team principal concluded.
Source: f1ingenerale
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