My personal and very subjective view - which will no doubt be the exact opposite of most fans : Silverstone is free to air in the UK, but I only watched the actual race live. Qualifying wasn't quite as important anymore, so didn't watch it live, and then obviously had to watch it before the Sprint race - both after the events. Just try explaining to your wife that "remember when Quali meant drivers going round to get the fastest time on the race grid, well now I'm watching what is supposed to be Quali, but that's only to sort out the grid for a mini race to see what the qualifying positions are". Fitting this in your family schedule is no mean feat lol. I'm sure many fans will feel that the more quali and sprints the better but I'd have preferred the actual drivers as per qualifying should have been represented on the actual race grid in the same positions. Best, Sammy
Autosport opinion on this new feature in some F1 events. I personally dont care for it overall. Normal qualy is well done and is dramatic putting pressure on drivers to get it completely right with 1 lap in a limited time scope. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/why-its-too-early-to-call-f1s-sprint-race-a-success/6645476/ Why it's too early to call F1's sprint race a success By: GP Racing Aug 11, 2021, 4:02 AM OPINION: While the architects of Formula 1’s experimental ‘Sprint’ concept have declared victory, STUART CODLING says that at best it’s a qualified success – and considerably more data is required before enshrining it as a fixture in grand prix weekends. Call it what you like (after all, even the people who came up with the idea can’t seem to get its name right every time), but Sprint Qualifying – officially ‘the F1 Sprint’ – could become a fixture of Formula 1 weekends if further trials prove successful. Indeed, based on its first outing at Silverstone, the auguries are that it will be declared the greatest innovation since the disc brake regardless of whether it’s any good or not; F1’s website presented a gloriously Pravda-esque compilation of team and driver quotes after the event in which you would struggle to find a crumb of ambivalence, let alone negativity. All this despite prominent drivers, including Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel, saying it shouldn’t be used to determine pole position… although that, surely, was the point of introducing it. “I think that’s wrong,” says Vettel. “I think they should change that. It doesn’t make sense. It’s a new discipline, so award a new stat for it.” As the professional hair-splitters who populate the Internet will be happy to mansplain to you at tedious length, pole position is actually determined – or at the very least ratified – by the FIA when it publishes the official starting grid on a Sunday morning. Image Unavailable, Please Login Hamilton beat Verstappen to top spot in qualifying at Silverstone, but wasn't credited with pole Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images Parking this egregious slab of pedantry for a moment, there is a general consensus among purists that pole position should belong to the driver who is fastest over a single lap. It’s a matter of precedent, since the system of determining grids by lottery was abandoned, that pole is a reward for putting everything on the line to set the quickest lap time. Determining it via a race dilutes this measure of a driver’s greatness – Exhibit A being Lewis Hamilton’s performance in non-qualifying-qualifying on Friday at Silverstone, when he went fastest of all despite not having the quickest car. Interviewed on TV post-‘Sprint’, Ross Brawn uttered some peculiar and nonsensical homily to the effect that if the ‘Sprint’ had been the grand prix, Hamilton would have lost, and now he had another chance to win the race. Not a hugely convincing argument in favour of the concept. In the demerit column we have to weigh the absence of strategic variety, since only four drivers started on an alternative tyre and it made very little difference – the positions Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen gained on lap one were earned through skill as much as through superior grip off the line Pressed gently, he emitted this line again with all the conviction of a ticket clicking out of a slot machine. A less supine interviewer might have pointed out to Brawn that twaddle doesn’t transmute into fact through some special alchemy via repetition. Or, indeed, that if their grandmother had wheels, she’d be a wagon. The ‘Sprint’ itself was intriguing but considerably more data is required before we can enshrine it as a success. Positives included an exciting opening lap in which the battle between Hamilton and Verstappen brought the crowd to its feet (as indeed it would again the following afternoon), and Fernando Alonso sliced through the field with exquisite daring and skill. In the debrief, Brawn et al would no doubt have taken Sergio Perez’s daft spin – thus ensuring one of the fastest cars started last on Sunday – as an easy win for the Sprint concept. Image Unavailable, Please Login Verstappen beat Hamilton off the line in the sprint, which was the end of the 'race' as a contest Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images In the demerit column we have to weigh the absence of strategic variety, since only four drivers started on an alternative tyre and it made very little difference – the positions Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen gained on lap one were earned through skill as much as through superior grip off the line. FP2 was rendered a waste of time, present only to give the morning crowd something to see (and what did that ‘something’ consist of but F1 cars performing long runs, several seconds off the absolute pace). The Sprint also restored the fastest car to the front of the grid and, barring a few outliers such as Alonso, Raikkonen and Perez, it essentially reshuffled the grid in order of race pace. Is this a good thing? It also settled into tyre-management ho-humness quickly, as evinced by the TV footage cutting over with almost desperate urgency to replays of the start and opening lap. Still – better than determining the grid via a lottery, I suppose… Image Unavailable, Please Login Packed grandstands at Silverstone watched F1's first sprint Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
I agree, however, my point is with the limited testing and all...we get what we are getting these days. One dominant team since 2014.
Review of this concept after Sprint today at Monza. Im ready for it to disappear. Its not worth the effort for F1. https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/32190123/not-fish-not-meat-f1-risks-prioritising-quantity-quality-sprint-qualifying-format
I give kudos to trying something new.sometimes you gotta just try stuff. At monza it was ok because it's borderline impossible to get a fast lap in on Q1. But my biggest problem with it is risk reward. Perez almost started last (ish) because he tried to get from 10th to 9th or something like that. Gasly just got screwed imo. Maybe some real racers here can chime in on the last part.
No the event itself makes no sense. Dump the sprint non-sense!! https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/having-fp2-under-f1s-sprint-format-makes-no-sense-todt/6667671/ Having FP2 under F1's sprint format "makes no sense" - Todt By: Jonathan Noble Co-author: Franco Nugnes Sep 14, 2021, 9:28 AM FIA president Jean Todt says his biggest issue with Formula 1's sprint race weekends is confusion over Saturday's morning's free practice session, and it potentially ruining the show. F1 is holding three sprint qualifying trials this year, with two having already taken place at the British and Italian Grands Prix. A final one is set for Brazil later in the season. While the format has drawn some mixed responses from fans, Todt says one of the things that baffles him the most is the way that there is practice between Friday qualifying and the sprint. With the one-hour session not meaning much for fans, Todt says that the running could actually be negative for the spectacle because it is of huge benefit for teams in nailing their tyre understanding and race strategies. "For the moment this [sprint] format leaves me a bit perplexed over what happens between 12pm and 1pm on Saturday morning," Todt told Italian media in reference to the FP2 session. "This free practice hour is not understandable to the public nor the media. It can only be of interest to the teams to collect information, for example on tyre wear. From the point of view of the show, it makes no sense." The issue of FP2 potentially detracting from the spectacle, because it gives teams too much knowledge, is something that Italian GP winner Daniel Ricciardo brought up. "I'm not sure FP2 does a lot," said the Australian. "I think actually we probably learn too much and then the races are a little kind of predictable. "I know about TV time, but I think for the health of the race, FP2 maybe hurts that a little bit because we kind of gain too much knowledge, so maybe that's something that'll change." Image Unavailable, Please Login Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL35M Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images The other issue that fans have expressed unhappiness over is the way that pole position is awarded to the sprint winner rather than the fastest driver in qualifying. It's something that F1 is ready to look at, but Todt says the only thing that ultimately matters is that the spectacle on Sunday is the best it can be. "It is an evolution of the competition," he said. "The grid is made from the result of the sprint qualifying. "An additional event was introduced on Saturday, which gives more meaning to the qualifying on Friday. What is important is that the main event is the Sunday race. There must be no confusion about this." F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has talked about the possibility of one third of the grands prix in 2022 featuring sprint qualifying events. However, Todt says that the sport must wait for final feedback after the trials are finished before making a call on what happens next. "For now, nothing is decided," he said. "We will see the feedback we will collect after the Monza and Interlagos experiences."
While the "sprint" was an interesting diversion from the regular F1 weekend, The current implementation lacks so much as to detract from the spectacle.
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/nobody-will-take-a-risk-with-confusing-sprint-race-format-wolff/6667981/ Nobody will take a risk with "confusing" F1 sprint race format – Wolff By: Filip Cleeren Co-author: Luke Smith Sep 15, 2021, 4:44 AM Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff believes Formula 1's sprint race format leaves "everyone confused" as drivers are discouraged from taking risks in Saturday's sprint to not compromise their grand prix. Image Unavailable, Please Login F1 decided to trial sprint races at three grands prix in 2021, with the 100km sprints on Saturday setting the grid for Sunday's full-length race. The two sprint races F1 has held so far, at Silverstone and Monza, produced mixed results at best. The running order was largely established after the first lap, as a lack of pitstops and overtaking meant drivers were generally resigned to following the train. Red Bull's Sergio Perez was among the drivers to criticise the format, describing it as "very boring". With just minor points at stake for the top three, and the result setting the grid for Sunday's race, Mercedes chief Wolff believes drivers are discouraged from taking any risks in the sprints, because the risk-reward balance isn't quite right. "First of all, everybody's confused," Wolff said. "I don't know how it is with you, I don't even know what session is when. "I believe the sprint race format as it stands at the moment, doesn't give a lot of benefit because nobody will take a serious risk. "There's too little points at stake and the risk of compromising your Sunday grand prix, with points all the way back to 10th position, is just not worth the risk.
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/wolff-f1-cannot-freestyle-format-changes-with-confused-ideas/6670649/ Wolff: F1 cannot ‘freestyle’ format changes with ‘confused’ ideas By: Luke Smith Sep 19, 2021, 4:59 AM Toto Wolff believes Formula 1 has too much responsibility to “freestyle” changes to the regulations amid continued discussions about sprint races and the format of grand prix weekends. F1 staged its second sprint race last Saturday at Monza, with the 100km event to set the grid for Sunday’s grand prix offering little on-track action or overtaking. It came after F1 managing director of motorsports Ross Brawn revealed consideration was being given to changing the sprint race format for next season, while Ferrari expressed its support for a possible introduction of reversed grid events. Mercedes F1 boss Wolff made clear the team was unmoved in its opposition to reverse grids, and remained lukewarm about the success of sprint races, saying the current format “doesn't give a lot of benefit” to teams. Brazil looks set to host the third and final F1 sprint event of the 2021 season in November ahead of a possible expansion to more events next year. Wolff said that F1 had to remember the responsibility it has to fans to remain a meritocracy, and warned against making dramatic changes to the regulations just to spice up the on-track spectacle. “We've resisted experiments in the past because they were too controversial and mainly also against what the sport stands for, and that's real racing,” Wolff said. “We’ve got great personalities now, it's broadcast in the right way, and people know that it's a meritocracy: the best man and best machine wins. You can see, this year, there's just more cars that are really competitive and a really good fight at the top. Image Unavailable, Please Login Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes W12, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, and Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL35M Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images “So, whatever conclusion we take, altogether, the teams, the FIA, FOM and the F1 Commission, whether we discontinue or continue, we need to do it with a fine tooth comb. “I don't think this is the regulations we should try [to hit] with a baseball bat. We have too much responsibility for our sport to just freestyle with the regulatory changes. “If Brazil proves to be an exciting race, then maybe there will be appetite to continue. “But some of the suggestions that have come up are just confused.” Asked what F1 should do if sprint races were to be scrapped and any reverse grid format was ruled against, Wolff suggested running a traditional weekend format with one fewer practice session than usual. “Start Friday afternoon with FP1, do a Saturday morning FP2, do a conventional qualifying like we do, and a fantastic grand prix on Sunday,” Wolff said. “Maybe you want to do some warm-up Sunday morning, to add a little bit more spectacle for the people. “In any case, I would just shorten the free practice sessions so there's more variability in the results, but keep the rest like it is.”
Sprint format criticism mainly "avid" F1 fans on social media · RaceFans Is this sport run by idiots? So because fans didn't turn it off, it's all good then? What kind of metric is that?! What these fools don't realize, is if all they're waiting for is fans tot turn the sport off, it's incredibly hard to get those fans back again. Keep going like this and Indycar is the real F1 alternative.
Guess 'avid' fans are not real fans eh? This makes little sense. More useless sprint news we have this - They said they didnt want to lose focus of Sunday race lol. Ok more points for non Sunday race. Really? You should not get a point unless its on Sunday. About to become a 2 race format if this is the direction. Diluted and silly. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-targets-sprint-race-points-overhaul-for-2022/6734747/ F1 targets sprint race points overhaul for 2022 By: Jonathan Noble Nov 1, 2021, 1:05 PM Formula 1 wants more points to be up for grabs in sprint races next year, as the championship edges closer plans to host six events in 2022. Although a final sprint qualifying trial is set to take place at this month's Brazilian Grand Prix, F1 chiefs have already seen enough to be convinced that the format is a big hit with the majority of fans to be carried forward. While a final decision about the 2022 plans will be made in conjunction with teams and the FIA over the winter, F1 owner Liberty Media is working on its vision for what it thinks should change next year. F1 managing director of motorsport Ross Brawn has reiterated that six events is the target for 2022, with every race promoter having expressed an interest in holding one next year. A final decision on which races will get awarded a sprint weekend has not been made, but they are likely to be spread evenly throughout the campaign. Despite recent suggestions of sprints becoming standalone events, potentially with reverse grids, Brawn has made it clear that there will instead only be an evolution of the sprint rules for 2022. With uncertainty about the impact that F1's new 2022 cars will bring, he thinks it sensible that it waits to see how things pan out next year before changing the sprint system too much. However, he says there are key tweaks that will be put to teams, including a change of points system, the awarding of pole position and the name of the sprint. Speaking to selected media on Monday, Brawn said: "We've in principle agreed with the teams that we will look towards six events for next year. There is quite a lot to get sorted before then, and our view is that we should take some progressive steps for next year but not radical steps. "And that's partly because we have the new car coming along, and everyone needs to settle down with the new car coming. "We need to see the impact of the car. So we've been relatively conservative and evolutionary for 2022. But we're positive about the concept and very pleased that F1 has been brave enough to try an alternative concept at three races to see how it works." Image Unavailable, Please Login Sparks trail from Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri AT02 after damage on the opening lap Photo by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images Brawn says that while F1 will not radically change the sprint format, there are some key revisions being looked at, with the most significant being the points on offer. "There's no doubt that we're discussing with the teams how Saturday could be made a bit more challenging, a bit more engaging," he explained. "I'm very optimistic that the new cars will help, because of their ability to race each other. And what's in discussion is how can we make the rewards for a Saturday greater, so there's much more incentive to race on a Saturday in terms of points. "I think probably reverse grids etc, I'd be quite excited by that I must say. But I think it would be perhaps a step too far. But there's a few things which are on the table for discussion. "The pole position on a Friday: it has clearly not been popular not having a pole position for Friday. So that's on the agenda. "The naming of the [sprint qualifying] event, as we all call it a race: if it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck…. The naming of the event is something we want to tidy up. "And then perhaps the points distribution for a Saturday could make it more challenging and inviting for drivers to race." While F1 only awards points for the top three sprint finishers (3-2-1) at the moment, Brawn says that the system could change for it to offer as much as a third of the current system used for races. This could mean the race winner getting between eight and 10, with points then being offered perhaps as far down as the top 10. "Personally we proposed something around a third of the points that you get in a race for the sprint," he said. "That was the initial proposal, which was not taken up because the feeling was that we need to see how the sprint functions first before we allocated the points. So we think that will be the starting point for the discussion. "It's significant enough to be worth going for and it goes far enough down that people in lower positions still want to fight for it. But it is not of a number that has over-influence on the championship. "It will have an influence on the championship, it must have and that's what we want, but not an excessive amount." Image Unavailable, Please Login Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes W12, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL35M, and Lando Norris, McLaren MCL35M Photo by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images Brawn says he has few complaints about the way the sprint spectacle has played out so far, with events hosted so far at Silverstone and Monza. And although the Saturday sprint event itself has not produced a great deal of entertainment, it is the wider impact that the format has on improving Friday action and the race that has left Brawn happy. Asked by Autosport if he felt a boring Saturday was a concern considering the impact elsewhere on the weekend, Brawn said: "Personally I think it is a price worth paying if Saturday is not a sort of crash and bang event. I'm not sure it's ever going to be. "I think the overall weekend has improved so much that we would go with that."
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/mclaren-adamantly-opposed-to-cost-cap-raise-for-sprint-race-damage/7215935/ McLaren ‘adamantly opposed’ to cost cap raise for sprint race damage By: Luke Smith Jan 12, 2022, 7:34 AM McLaren remains “adamantly opposed” to raising Formula 1’s budget cap amid talks between teams over allowances for the six planned sprint races in 2022. Image Unavailable, Please Login F1 debuted its new sprint race weekend format at three events in 2021, holding 100km races on Saturdays that offered points to the top three and set the grid for the race on Sunday. The trial of the format last year has led to plans being formulated to expand it to six events next year following talks in Saudi Arabia last month. The season-opener in Bahrain has been earmarked to host the first sprint of the year, potentially using its outer loop configuration. Changes to the number of points-paying positions, the classification of ‘pole position’ and whether it sets the grid for Sunday’s race were also discussed. Although teams were supportive of continuing and expanding the sprint format for this year, there was a lack of consensus over extra income for crash allowance that was permitted last year being replaced by set fee, and how this would fit in with the budget cap. F1 introduced a budget cap of $145m last year that will drop to $140m for this year before falling by a further $5m in 2023. McLaren Racing CEO Brown felt encouraged that sprint races had “a very positive impact on viewing figures”, and that while format tweaks had to be discussed, the team was firm in its opposition to it raising the cost cap. “Some want to take the opportunity to raise the cost cap, a few of the teams,” Brown said. “We’re adamantly opposed to raising the cost cap on anything. So we’re going to need to work through that issue.” In 2021, teams were given an allowance of $450,000 for taking part in the three sprint races, as well as an additional $100,000 for accident damage. But Brown said that “a couple of teams” were looking to raise the budget cap “by a ridiculous number” for 2022 despite the limited number of first-lap incidents. “The reality is there was very little damage last year,” Brown said. “When this was proposed to us a year ago, they did a report on the damage that was incurred on opening laps, and it was also in the report that showed there was very little damage. Read Also: Hulkenberg: "Pretty damn fast" F1 2022 cars may still be hard to follow Ricciardo explains impact of homesickness on early F1 2021 struggles “We came into this thinking there could be very little damage, [and it] turns out there was very little damage. “And yet a couple of the teams still want to take the opportunity to raise the budget by a ridiculous number, by almost, ‘well, what if I write off a car every race?’ From what I’ve seen, I saw more crashes in practice than I have in the sprint races. “It might be new to some teams to actually have to manage a budget, but I think that’s in the spirit of the sport, so you can certainly match the revenue to the expense and resolve that. “But I think the revenue will grow over time, and I think we need to be very careful to be fiscally sustainable, that certain teams take the opportunity to try and raise that all the time. We need to resist that.”
