As the final of six alternate races neared, the sprint format was once again the topic of conversation at the Brazilian Grand Prix. While some people detest shorter races, others adore them.
Max Verstappen, the current F1 champion, was the most vocal in his request for the FIA to return to regular race weekends during the season, following his 17th victory of 2023 in Sao Paulo. He said, “Please, just give me a typical race weekend. Thank you.” “Any change would not be of interest to me. It’s not to my taste.
Martin Brundle, though, maintains that the sprint races are attracting more spectators and he doesn’t think the FIA will discontinue the format anytime soon. “I see a lot of social media traffic, as well as talking with fans, friends, and media, where many say they don’t like Sprint format at all,” he wrote in a column for Sky Sports.
Verstappen makes the same claim despite being a pure racer and having numerous victories.All of those viewpoints are valid, but the TV audience statistics indicate that many more people are watching these “appointments to view” live sports. And it is true.
As I mentioned in our shows, in free practise there are no rules and the teams have to keep the cars well apart on the track while using the least amount of tyre and power unit life possible. For this reason, the worst Sprint will always be preferable to the best FP2. To attract spectators willing to spend their hard-earned money, the Sprints need to offer more entertainment along the track.”
In 2021, the Sprint was introduced in an effort to liven up the weekend with more action. The original schedule called for a single practise session on Friday, qualifying, an additional practise session, and a sprint race on Saturday to determine the starting grid for the Grand Prix on Sunday.In 2023, the second practice session has been changed to a sprint shootout qualifier on Saturday morning instead. The number of Sprint events was also doubled from three to six in 2023.In 2023, the second practice session has been changed to a sprint shootout qualifier on Saturday morning instead. The number of Sprint events was also doubled from three to six in 2023.
