F1 | Domenicali is open to more sprint races, but with what prospects?

Starting from 2021, Formula 1 has introduced something new in its format, namely the sprint races. After an experimental phase of three races, it was then decided to expand them to six weekends, with continuous changes in search of a combination that could actually work.

At the beginning, in fact, the sprint race ranking decreed the starting grid for the Grand Prix, a formula which, however, had met with the negative opinion of the drivers given that a trivial contact could have compromised the entire weekend. For this reason it was then decided to add a second qualifying session to one of the two free practice sessions.

At the beginning of this year, however, the format was changed again: the qualification for the sprint was moved to Friday afternoon, then followed by the short race on Saturday morning, while the qualifying tests for the Grand Prix found a new location on Saturday afternoon. Added to this was the reopening of Parc Fermé between the sprint and traditional events, giving teams the opportunity to change the setup in a small window of time.

More sprint races in the season, but with what prospects?

After a trial period, it is no mystery that F1's intention is to extend the sprints to an ever-increasing number of events, beyond the current six, but the approval of the teams is also needed, who clearly would also like compensation at a budget level, a source of conflict in recent years.

“On Friday the sprint qualifying in those conditions, the cars turned a lot. This reminds us that we have a duty to make sure there is some action on the track every day. To respect the fans who come here and want to have fun,” Stefano Domenicali explained to Sky Sports.

When asked if the experiment could also be extended to other events in the world championship, Domenicali confirmed his intention to discuss expanding the number of events with the short race in the future: “Why not? I would say it's a great solution because it maintains tension every day and this is something that will be discussed in the future. Now, let's see how it will go this year with the sprints the way they have been set up for this year, but that is a point of discussion,” added the Formula 1 CEO.

However, this theme is part of a discussion that has been widely addressed in recent years, namely that of a continually expanding calendar. The 2024 world championship includes 24 events, making it the longest in the history of Formula 1, with a great commitment from all those who follow the championship, both on the track and remotely in the various factories.

It is no mystery that the teams are already gearing up by doing rotations in the groups of mechanics and engineers who follow the Circus around the world, but it is also true that certain roles are irreplaceable, which is why certain figures will never find alternatives during the season. Furthermore, a pilot has a fixed group of engineers with whom he follows the workflow and, although it is true that he can also operate remotely in certain contexts, the load still remains heavy.

Several drivers expressed opposing preferences regarding the addition of sprints to the weekend, with both positive and negative opinions. What most drivers agree on, however, is precisely the fact that this would have a major impact on the mechanics and engineers who follow the world championship.

“The main point is just the weight it has on the mechanics and engineers. Honestly, I don't think it's a problem for us drivers. I don't think we can be the ones to complain. It's the hundreds of mechanics and engineers we have here that have to travel so much. It's not healthy for them and it's not sustainable,” commented Lando Norris over the Chinese weekend.

Max Verstappen also shared the same opinion, underlining how the calendar is already too saturated to think about increasing the number of sprint races, as happens in MotoGP, where they are applied to all weekends of the season. “We already have 24 races a year, six of which are also sprint events. I understand, I think it sells better and the numbers on TV are better. But it is also more stressful for the mechanics and the team. So we accept it, we have to face it, but we must not think that now we need 12 sprint events, because this too will have its impact on people”, added the Dutchman, who has never hidden his preference towards the traditional format .

Mechanics on the grid with Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

The reopening of parc fermé between the sprint events and qualifying for the Grand Prix adds another level of stress, because naturally the mechanics and engineers are called upon to analyze the data accumulated in the previous two sessions in a very short time. One could argue that this also happens on a traditional weekend, given that the teams work between FP3 and qualifying, but a good part of the set-up research work has already been done post-FP2, so in the Saturday session we tend to work on the details.

In a sprint weekend you only have one free practice session available to sort out the setup and, as seen in China, the window between the short race and qualifying also gave the opportunity to change the set-up radically, with results even opposites.

Added to this is clearly the issue of accidents, because on a track with smaller escape routes or on circuits that leave more space for possible contacts, the risk for the mechanics of having to race against time to repair the cars is more than concrete. The rotation of the working groups may indeed be a palliative, but it is clear that overabundance is not healthy for anyone, even for the championship itself which would become further saturated with competitions.

It is logical to ask what future Formula 1 will go towards with the sprint race issue. If the solution can no longer be applied to all world championship events, what would be the point of having some “special” events in the championship that have a greater specific weight in terms of ranking? Would it make sense to continue with a reduced number of events of this type for years, rotating the calendar? Furthermore, although it is true that at times the sprint can offer more action on the track at a competitive level, on the other hand in numerous events it acted as a real “spoiler” for what would then happen on Sunday, undermining the tension that precedes the Grand Prix.

We are looking for a solution to the Friday “problem”.

However, the theme of sprint races is also linked to another issue, namely the fact that sometimes teams prefer to stay in the pits in case of particular conditions, reducing the action on the track. The most recent example is that of free practice in Japan, where the fact that rain fell in one of the free practice sessions, making the asphalt too dry for the intermediates but also excessively wet for the slicks, pushed the teams not to take risks. Since it wasn't a useful session, the teams saved money by saving their tyres.

Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team VCARB 01

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Finding a solution is not easy. Despite an extra set of intermediates being supplied this year at the expense of a heavy wet one, the teams continue to complain of a shortage of tyres, because at that point each driver would only have four sets remaining. It is clear that, if there were uncertain weather for the rest of the weekend as well, at that point the teams would prefer to keep the various trains for the competitive sessions, limiting the runs in the free practices. Naturally this has an impact on spectators who purchase a ticket to follow the free practice.

However, this doesn't just apply to wet situations. Even in dry FP1 the teams use few sets of tires to leave more options open for the race. For example, Ferrari only ran with a soft tire in China, McLaren and Red Bull tested the hard tire, limiting runs on the softer compound for the two qualifying sessions, while Mercedes had planned to use two different compounds and then change plan and keep the rubber more tender. This clearly has an influence not only on the amount of kilometers covered in the single free practice session, but also on how certain dynamics can influence the rest of the weekend, at that point made up of four competitive sessions.

Also in this case, given the pre-established number of sets of covers, it is not easy to find a solution that can satisfy everyone. Among the various solutions, it has been proposed to impose specific rules on which tires to use, forcing the teams to run, or to increase the number of trains available, which however would go against the sustainability initiatives promoted by F1.

“For sure, what I want to discuss in the next F1 Commission is that we need to avoid any possibility of having a situation like Japan, with the cars not running [nelle libere del venerdì]. This is not good for the people who come to see us and follow the riders. I'm sure the teams will understand that we have to find solutions,” added Domenicali.