British former racing driver Martin Brundle has urged Formula 1 not to experiment too much with the sprint format in a vain attempt to find the magic formula to attract more spectators.
Since its introduction in 2021, sprint weekends have divided fans and industry insiders about their usefulness. Many believe that they are merely a ploy to attract a new audience, following a similar strategy to the Netflix series Drive To Survive. Others, like Stefano Domenicali, argue that sprints are a way to give value to each session and minimize free practice sessions, considered less interesting for the weekend.
Sprint Format: Martin Brundle against the inverted grid
“Every time we change, it has to be for the better,” said the British commentator to Sky Sports. “We can’t continue to create confusion. I don’t like to see so many trials and errors in Formula 1. I still believe that the worst sprint race is still far better than the best FP2 session. I think Formula 1 should stay away from things like this or other penalties. F1 is based on excellence, not on some kind of grid draw from a hat, something like that.” – he pointed out.
In addition to inverting the grid between shootouts and traditional qualifications from Friday to Saturday, one of the proposals still under consideration would be to invert the grid, or at least partially. This would obviously lead to a substantial increase in spectacle but would affect the sporting aspect:
“The way Formula 1 is structured, if you invert the grid, the teams will immediately start to figure out how fast or slow to go. What I don’t like is the disconnect between the main race qualifiers on Friday and Sunday. I find myself having to think about it all weekend and trying to explain to everyone that it doesn’t work.” – he added.
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“Since their creation in 2021, Sprints have been a constant factor in ensuring an increase in TV viewership, more on-track entertainment for fans during events, and greater engagement of fans on social and digital platforms,” said Stefano Domenicali a few weeks ago, in stark contrast to Martin Brundle’s comments.
In the next Formula One season, the number of sprints will remain the same, although Shanghai, returning to Formula 1 after five years, and Miami, will replace Spa and Baku. However, Formula 1 will have to find a formula that can be the right compromise between entertainment and sport to avoid attracting further criticism to an already quite indigestible format.
Source: f1ingenerale
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