New race weekend format 2021

[adrianjordan]

I read on BBC that the results of the sprint race would decide the grid for the main race.... Surely that would just reduce the chances of a mixed up grid compared to the current quali format.

I can see the appeal of a sprint race in theory, but I don't see how it could be made to work without significant changes to the rules and I would not want it to replace qualifying.

[proteus]

Why are they patching and changing the only thing which is working fine?? Sprint race as qualifying....who came up with this madness?

Cars are as heavy as tanks, they cant follow each other, they are limited by a number of components and tyres cant survive fast driving for a long period of time. But no, we will change the weekend format, because that will really really make the difference....

I thought Liberty Media would impose proper order when they took over, i thought that will happen when Ross Brawn was apointed as a decider, but boy i was wrong....

This is no longer a pinnacle of motorsport, it is a sad relic of greatness that this sport used to be...im waiting for fanboost, shortcuts and fake sprinkler systems on tracks with a raffle deciding when the water is deployed...

We will allways have archive footage of real drivers and racing in a real motosport to watch and enjoy...i personally really dont know how much more of this charade i will be willing to watch.

[Ringleheim]

https://twitter.com/Motorsport/status/1 ... 4594569222

Great idea. Award points. Adjust to 5 engines a season. They are literally talking about adding 23, 1/2 GPs to the calendar at the last minute!

Should not replace knockout qualifying tho. That is the only unbroken part of F1.

I think a lot of people agree with you about the current qualifying format. I don't share this view. It's OK, could be better, and I preferred it when everyone got 1 lap and only 1 lap.

We got to see every corner of every lap of every driver during qualifying.

Now we see very little and it all comes down to watching the cars cross the finish line with the clock at zero to see if their position on the timing monitor jumps or not.

[wesley123]

A common complaint is that drivers don't go flat out anymore. And what does F1 want to do? Remove the sole portion of the weekend where they actually do go flat out.

[bjpower]

While I agree with not changing quali, this is the year to try out new formats. The cars are mostly a year old. Most teams will be spending their Dev budget on next year. I hope it's a good season but it's one where they can try new things and see if they work.

[adrianjordan]

See I think they should wait and see what the new 2022 cars do for the sport first.

Has no-one in F1 heard of "IF it ain't broke, don't fix it"??

[Wouter]

See I think they should wait and see what the new 2022 cars do for the sport first.

Has no-one in F1 heard of "IF it ain't broke, don't fix it"??

Qualifying is often much more exciting than the race. If the result of the sprint race becomes the starting position for the race, then qualifying is no longer that interesting. Is someone really waiting for a sprint race to make the weekend more fun?
And what about the rules that nothing can be changed on the car after qualifying on Friday? So no more FP2 and FP3, just an FP1? And what about when the weather is too bad to drive an FP1?
Start qualifying without preparation >>> sprint race >>> race?
I'm fine with the way things are going now and like you said: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

[basti313]

See I think they should wait and see what the new 2022 cars do for the sport first.

Has no-one in F1 heard of "IF it ain't broke, don't fix it"??

Qualifying is often much more exciting than the race. If the result of the sprint race becomes the starting position for the race, then qualifying is no longer that interesting. Is someone really waiting for a sprint race to make the weekend more fun?

I partially agree.
If you take the usual "no overtaking" track at the moment then a sprint will be just boring with enduring tires...with tires strongly fading it will just put the same ones like now (tire usage) on top.
So having a sprint race in Monaco is just like a normal GP where everyone stops after the second lap and does another race start...can not be more artificial.

[astracrazy]

A common complaint is that drivers don't go flat out anymore. And what does F1 want to do? Remove the sole portion of the weekend where they actually do go flat out.

I honestly don't really think they take into account fans opinions most of the time. I think they just do what they want to see.

I am not really sure what we are going to gain from sprint races, apart from more predictability. It will be even more boring than a one stop race.

[Big Tea]

A common complaint is that drivers don't go flat out anymore. And what does F1 want to do? Remove the sole portion of the weekend where they actually do go flat out.

I honestly don't really think they take into account fans opinions most of the time. I think they just do what they want to see.

I am not really sure what we are going to gain from sprint races, apart from more predictability. It will be even more boring than a one stop race.

I often wonder of their definition of 'fans'.

Is it people who have watch for several years, or people who never watch and just make suggestions based on computer games.

[Just_a_fan]

I often wonder of their definition of 'fans'.

Is it people who have watch for several years, or people who never watch and just make suggestions based on computer games.

It's likely that the results of the polls are partly skewed by fans of certain drivers who want change to happen in the hope that it will help "their" driver win. "My driver can't win in the current format, so let's have changes that might help him" sort of thing.

Then you get people that think life should be like a computer game and they'll vote for anything wacky because "yeah, why not, could be fun in the 2022 F1 game".

[basti313]

A common complaint is that drivers don't go flat out anymore. And what does F1 want to do? Remove the sole portion of the weekend where they actually do go flat out.

I honestly don't really think they take into account fans opinions most of the time. I think they just do what they want to see.

I am not really sure what we are going to gain from sprint races, apart from more predictability. It will be even more boring than a one stop race.

I often wonder of their definition of 'fans'.

Is it people who have watch for several years, or people who never watch and just make suggestions based on computer games.

"Fans" in terms of F1 management are the TV companies, some rich arabs and to some degree the usual track managements. In the second row certainly the people why pay the TV companies and who buy tickets.

So certainly some people that watch F1 today in the second row.

In these terms...I like to watch F1. When I am at the track I love every minute they run (without just doing FP). So I like the idea of the sprint race in terms of some more good track time on Saturday.

FP can be well shorter....for me FP on Friday is too long...1hour is enough for walking round the track and at home or with working obligation on Fridays not possible. In Spore I lost half of FP2 because you walk nearly an hour from the pits to downtown...

Q on Friday would be completely stupid.

[Big Tea]

I honestly don't really think they take into account fans opinions most of the time. I think they just do what they want to see.

I am not really sure what we are going to gain from sprint races, apart from more predictability. It will be even more boring than a one stop race.

I often wonder of their definition of 'fans'.

Is it people who have watch for several years, or people who never watch and just make suggestions based on computer games.

"Fans" in terms of F1 management are the TV companies, some rich arabs and to some degree the usual track managements. In the second row certainly the people why pay the TV companies and who buy tickets.

So certainly some people that watch F1 today in the second row.

In these terms...I like to watch F1. When I am at the track I love every minute they run (without just doing FP). So I like the idea of the sprint race in terms of some more good track time on Saturday.

FP can be well shorter....for me FP on Friday is too long...1hour is enough for walking round the track and at home or with working obligation on Fridays not possible. In Spore I lost half of FP2 because you walk nearly an hour from the pits to downtown...

Q on Friday would be completely stupid.

Not at all intended as derogation of anyone just because they have differing views to my own, in fact I am undecided on this, but whenever I see a result of a poll on a reputable site questioning most of the 'great new ideas' they seem to be a very small minority.

You and everyone else are as much entitled to your views, I was more concerned with the 'vote this week, watch for a month then get fed up and leave' sort of voter as what would be left would put off many of the 'stick wit hit through thick and thin' supporter.

[Just_a_fan]

FP can be well shorter....for me FP on Friday is too long...1hour is enough for walking round the track and at home or with working obligation on Fridays not possible. In Spore I lost half of FP2 because you walk nearly an hour from the pits to downtown...

On the odd occasion when I go to Silverstone, I go on Friday. It's an hour to walk around the track. Walk in the opposite direction to the cars (so they're heading towards you) and you get a good view of the cars in action and a bit of exercise.

I don't do race day (or even qualifying) these days. The cost is too high for what you get, to be honest, and you end up trying to sit near a big screen to see what's going on. So you effectively spend a couple of hundred to watch TV sat on a bank surrounded by a load of strangers.

[El Scorchio]

Ticket sales are probably a big factor for this actually. They can sell so many more for both friday and saturday, and charge exponentially more for them at the same time.