This weekend Formula 1 is experimenting for the second time with the sprintraceformat. A race over 100 kilometers will be held at Monza on Saturday afternoon at 4.30 pm. The top three receive points and the result determines the starting order for the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon.
Formula 1 management was very enthusiastic after the first experiment at Silverstone. There was some more criticism from fans, drivers and teams, including the allocation of pole position to the winner of the sprint race and not to the fastest man in qualifying. We are now looking at what can be improved in 2022. For example, it is being considered to omit the qualification element. A bad performance in the sprint race or a technical problem can now be very costly for the race on Sunday. F1 is looking for improvements and is considering qualifying on Friday that will set the starting grid for both the sprint race and the Grand Prix. The race on Saturday is mainly about the extra points that can be earned. With this format, sprint races on multiple circuits would be possible, including on tracks where overtaking is difficult such as Monaco and Zandvoort.
F1 sporting director Ross Brawn said that the choice for such a ‘standalone’ sprint race is the most important consideration for the winter months. “That’s going to be the main challenge, whether we can take one more step and make it a standalone race,” Brawn said in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com. “We have to see how many points are awarded and how we determine the starting position. Should it stay as it is on Friday? [Sergio] Perez made a mistake during the sprint race at Silverstone and wasted his chances on Sunday. Should qualifying on Friday determine the grid for both races? We can do a number of things, and in a number of ways. We are currently looking at that. There are some ideas on the table. We will present them to the FIA and the teams and then look further.”
Formula 1 will only make a decision about the future of the concept after the next two sprint races in Italy and Brazil. However, Brawn says that they want to stick to one format, so no alternation between standalone races and sprint races that determine the starting grid: “It will not be a mix. If we alternate too much it gets confusing for our fans. So I expect one format.”
Festivities after the sprint race
In order to get the best possible idea of the advantages and disadvantages of the current format, it has been decided not to make any changes due to the sprint race in Monza. However, the festivities for the top three will be changed. This has to do with an evaluation of the festivities at Silverstone and the fact that Monza fans are concentrated in a much smaller area. Instead of a lap of honor on an open truck like at Silverstone, the festivities take place around the grid. Brawn: “The race [op zondag] is the main event, but we want something fun, relevant and respectful on Saturday. So we’re going to adjust it, something more modest.”
F1 update: The latest news from Monza
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