Let’s face it: the F1 Sprint Race is a format that has not yet fully convinced. The experiment began in 2021, when three races were staged during the season and were met with fairly good success from the point of view of the television audience. Even if the format did not completely convince the drivers and especially some fans, especially the most extremist fanbase.
The test continued in 2022. For the current championship there were initially six races scheduled to take place based on the new format, but no agreement was found between the parties. The International Automobile Federation, in fact, got in the way asking for more money to organize events that require a more numerically large staff: more men, more means, more resources that Liberty Media did not want to guarantee.
After a period of confrontation between the parties involved, including the teams, it was established that the six sprint races scheduled for 2022 were postponed for 2023. But some problems still remain unresolved. The main one refers to the layout of the tracks.
Practice has clearly shown that in some circumstances a 100km race is ineffective in terms of show and action. Much depends on the layout of the track: where overtaking is possible we have seen movement. For example, we look back at last year’s Brazilian GP. The situation is different when Formula 1 came across circuits that are less ideal for such an event.
Looking at the 2022 Imola Grand Prix, to give a recent example, we were able to observe some real ‘trains’ that made the action disappear. Emblematic is the situation faced by Lewis Hamilton who spent the 100 kilometers of the mini-gp going crazy in the big group without being able to get the better of his rivals. Despite the DRS. On narrow tracks and with few areas where the mobile wing can be used, the short race makes little sense.
This is also the opinion of Valtteri Bottas. The Finnish driver, who moved to Alfa Romeo from Mercedes at the end of the 2022 Formula 1 season, believes that the success of the format lies essentially in the choice of the most suitable circuits to favour an argues that the tracks must be carefully evaluated but, in any case, it is worthwhile to insist on the Sprint Race model. Obviously, carefully selecting those places where the show can be generated without having to wait for manna from heaven. That is the rain.
Valtteri Bottas, in his remarks, referred to the Austrian Grand Prix. In his opinion, the short race held in Styria did not produce much in terms of entertainment. In fact, after the start in which we saw Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz fighting for the second position, we didn’t see much. The only one who animated the event was Lewis Hamilton who had to recover after the crash of qualifying. In fact, the 7-time world champion has engaged in a very long duel with Mick Schumacher having to fight hard before being able to overtake the Ferrari junior.
The difficulty in passing the Haas depended not only on Mick Schumacher’s solid defense, as the German driver is becoming more and more familiar with the VF22, but also on the layout of the track. The circuit owned by Red Bull is among the shortest in the world and has just a few points where it is possible to attempt an overtake despite a full throttle straight that leads to turn 3. This was in fact the only point where, especially in the normal race, we saw some great duels.
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Valtteri Bottas, as the advocate of the drivers’ requests, believes that the Sprint race should not be rejected from the start, but that it is an idea that should be evaluated with great attention and defined in detail. He therefore urges Formula 1 to focus on tracks that can enhance the show when there are only a few laps to complete.
Referring to past experiences, circuits such as Monza, Silverstone itself or San Paolo, have characteristics that can favour the philosophy of the Sprint race. In simple words, we should avoid tracks that do not have very exciting specificities of overtaking maneuvers: the aforementioned Imola, Montecarlo (where, for now, there has never been the intention to do a sprint race, ed.) or Hungary.
Probably, the International Automobile Federation itself, in a discussion with Liberty Media and the Grand Prix Driver Association, will choose more carefully since there will be six weekends based on the Sprint format in 2023, barring an unexpected change of plan.
More suitable venues should actually be sought if Formula One is to, as it appears to be, making the Sprint Race the dominant model. But not all-encompassing because the facts prove that at some circuits the format will never work.
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