What Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz criticizes about Formula 1’s sprint format and what weekend schedule McLaren driver Lando Norris would like to see
Is Formula 1’s sprint format the last word in wisdom? Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz would disagree. Sainz says he is not a fan of the current rules: “I think Saturday gives away too much of what will happen on Sunday. Basically, we see the first stint on Sunday [in the sprint], and that doesn’t help. “
For Sainz, “the show” on a Formula 1 race weekend consists solely of “the main race, the Grand Prix”. And once you have come to this realization, “then maybe it’s better to try something else on Saturday,” says Sainz.
“Whether it’s a crashed grid or an individual time trial as qualifying, I don’t know. But if we are already experimenting with the sprint format, then I would be open to further experiments as to which format is best,” says Sainz. “Because at the moment, Saturday doesn’t feel quite right to me. “
Norris proposes alternative weekend format
McLaren driver Lando Norris doesn’t seem convinced by the sprint format either: “I’ve always liked the normal race weekends. If I had the choice, I would go back to it for the fans and to make it a better show,” says Norris.
What he would adopt from the sprint format, however, is the weekend structure with just one free practice session before the first decision in qualifying. “I like this approach,” says Norris. “It’s more entertaining and a real challenge for drivers and engineers.”
It would also allow the Formula 1 weekend to be shortened from three to two days, which Formula 1 tried out once in Imola in 2020 with a 90-minute practice session before qualifying and the race. Will this idea be taken up again? “That’s not my decision,” says Norris. “So it doesn’t really matter.”
However, Formula 1 is very much concerned with the topic: possible changes to the sprint format and, for example, the number of sprint races per year are to be discussed ahead of the 2024 season.