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The sprint race format that was introduced at the 2021 F1 British Grand Prix is set to return this weekend at the Imola GP and later on in the season at the Red Bull Ring and Interlagos. Despite the new modifications and updates to the sprint format, it has once again received significant criticism since drivers will still only have a real incentive to go for daring overtakes on Sunday when there are full-fledged points up for grabs. With this in mind, F1 is considering turning the sprint race into a standalone event in the future. Three F1 drivers shared their thoughts on the new considerations.
As reported by Motorsport, current F1 championship leader Charles Leclerc was certainly intrigued by the concept, saying:
“This could be a thing. This will help us to take a bit more risk maybe during sprint qualifying without losing too much on the Sunday - in case you do a mistake. It could add a bit of value of excitement for the Saturday. This actually could be a good idea.”
Haas' Kevin Magnessun, too, claimed that the plans for a standalone event could result in a more exciting weekend overall, saying:
“I think the qualifying idea is a good suggestion. If the qualifying on Friday meant the grid position for Sunday, and also for the sprint race, that could be quite fun. You add another spectacle point to the weekend…you can fully go for it in the sprint race.”
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, however, revealed that he is happy with the format as it stands today, saying:
“I like the way it is. There are points and there’s risk/reward. I thought that was the whole idea of the sprint race - to make it interesting for the fans. I think it’s nice to see drivers that are maybe further back fighting for positions on Sunday. And if you’re starting up at the front, you might not like that so much. But that how it is. I wouldn’t want to see that change. I think if it is going to be a sprint, it might as well be a proper sprint that puts pressure on Sunday.”
Slight tweaks have been brought about this year to the sprint event. It is no longer referred to as a sprint "qualifying" session. Unlike last year, this season's sprint will reward the top eight finishers with points instead of just the top three and will set the grid for the main F1 race on Sunday.
"It won’t change the approach" - Pierre Gasly on modifications to F1 sprint race
Despite minor tweaks made to the sprint format this season, AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly claims that drivers will continue to remain conservative in their approach since the real points will still come from the main race.
As reported by RaceFans, the Frenchman said:
“Last year you weren’t taking too much risk in the sprint because it will affect a lot the starting position for the main race. So it won’t change the approach.”
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if the added points for Sprint races this year will lead to some more on-track action, as the first such event of 2022 takes place at Imola.
