Sprint format (2023)

[dialtone]

This format is not really about attracting new fans IMHO but it's about having higher average viewership to charge more for sponsors and TV rights.

Correct. It is also helping to get more ticket sales at the track on Friday. Saturday has been made very mediocre, but once you have fans at the track on Friday, they are going to stay for all 3 days. Ordinarily they might have only arrived on Saturday.

I think they should aim to expand to racing on Thursday as well. Why not? (this is sarcasm).

Yeah, they should really think of something different though. A mini-GP isn't additive to the weekend experience, it dilutes the main race.

For starters I would use a different quali format, not the same thing but slightly shorter, or maybe even don't even run quali but re-use the main one.

Then an idea for a different format for the race could be to have an absolute all out race, get tires that hold like tanks and will not degrade, same tire for everyone, everyone pushes 110% every lap as if they were 10-20 quali laps, this way people will actually try to make passes, and obviously give a nice reward, there's only 5-6 of these events, give a full GP worth of points.

Obviously none of these ideas matters, but IMHO having a different format would be better than just doing the same thing 2 times except for crashes that would be different.

[graham.reeds]

Super sticky tyres wouldn't work. Everyone would be going into, and through, corners at much greater speed. All you do is make accidents much costlier as they impact the barriers, and each other, much harder.

[dialtone]

Super sticky tyres wouldn't work. Everyone would be going into, and through, corners at much greater speed. All you do is make accidents much costlier as they impact the barriers, and each other, much harder.

Super sticky tires isn't durable tires. Michelin/Bridgestone made tires that last a whole GP, if you took those compounds and made them last only 1/3rd of the race they wouldn't need to be managed, and with the ability to run 100l+ of fuel they would be able to overfuel for 1/3rd of the race allowing them to basically always run as close as possible to the max fuel flow if they so desire.

In any case it's just random ideas, I don't need FOM to use this, it's just an example of a different format that would play better in a smaller event within the GP.

[JordanMugen]

I think they should aim to expand to racing on Thursday as well. Why not? (this is sarcasm).

The Indy 500 has a brilliant idea called the "Month of May".

[harty71]

If they're going to stick with these terrible sprint races then they better introduce the softest tyre possible to spice up the show, I'm talking tyres that hit the cliff in a handful of laps.

[chrisc90]

If they're going to stick with these terrible sprint races then they better introduce the softest tyre possible to spice up the show, I'm talking tyres that hit the cliff in a handful of laps.

Yep, as I said somewhere, a super stick tyre and a pit window 5-7laps long and a mandated tyre change.

[harty71]

If they're going to stick with these terrible sprint races then they better introduce the softest tyre possible to spice up the show, I'm talking tyres that hit the cliff in a handful of laps.

Yep, as I said somewhere, a super stick tyre and a pit window 5-7laps long and a mandated tyre change.

I wouldn't even have that, let them manage the high degradation on track.

[vorticism]

I think they should aim to expand to racing on Thursday as well. Why not? (this is sarcasm).

Why not race from the airport to the racetrack?


Why not race from airport to airport as well?

[Big Tea]

If they're going to stick with these terrible sprint races then they better introduce the softest tyre possible to spice up the show, I'm talking tyres that hit the cliff in a handful of laps.

Yep, as I said somewhere, a super stick tyre and a pit window 5-7laps long and a mandated tyre change.

And no DRS

[basti313]

New format is great, excellent race weekend.
As Hamilton said, the Saturday can be more condensed with a FP. And they should lift the parc ferme, I would even suggest full freedom on adjustments (no part spec change).

[AR3-GP]

New format is great, excellent race weekend.
As Hamilton said, the Saturday can be more condensed with a FP. And they should lift the parc ferme, I would even suggest full freedom on adjustments (no part spec change).

I don't think they will lift parc ferme. The shortened weekend and the sprints increases the randomness. Look how Alpine did. Why would they want a team to be able to fix their car between sessions? Then the race is more predictable.

[basti313]

New format is great, excellent race weekend.
As Hamilton said, the Saturday can be more condensed with a FP. And they should lift the parc ferme, I would even suggest full freedom on adjustments (no part spec change).

I don't think they will lift parc ferme. The shortened weekend and the sprints increases the randomness. Look how Alpine did. Why would they want a team to be able to fix their car between sessions? Then the race is more predictable.

I do not think this gave randomness but rather took it. And it seems this is the only complaint....if you know the sprint the race might be clear (what was not really the case).
That being said...if RedBull is the issue it does not make sense to watch the race in any case. But behind...some drivers may gamble on setups.

[langedweil]

A mini-GP isn't additive to the weekend experience, it dilutes the main race.

That's exactly what's wrong with the idea of a sprint, and especially in this format they are just mini-raceweekends within a raceweekend. Idiocracy ..

I didn't even bother to wake up @6:30 on Sunday, I just skipped through it later in the day (just make sure you won't have a look on your phone to prevent spoilers).

It's just annoyingly too much, and overall very incoherent .. that is, for a long-time 50+ follower.

[FW17]

The sprint format as a mini GP sucks. They might as well have Saturday exclusively for junior drivers.

[Wouter]

Why F1's team bosses want changes to sprint format they created

Formula 1's new sprint weekend format got mixed reviews from drivers in Baku last weekend,
and the reaction from fans has been lukewarm, to say the least.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/why- ... /10464173/