The Controversial Sprint Race: Why So Many Fans Hate It
With the new addition of the Sprint format to the Formula 1 calendar in 2021, Sprint weekends have been quite the controversial topic among F1 fans. But what exactly are they, and why do so many fans and drivers hate them so much?
Sprints were added to the calendar with the intent of providing fans with more excitement, competition, and on-track action than a regular race weekend would. A Sprint race spans just a third of the length of a normal Grand Prix and only awards a small portion of the points received during the regular race. Tacked on to this, the weekend also involves a condensed qualifying session called a Sprint Shootout, which is just a mad dash to the finish line in hopes of securing pole.
Now, to many, this new format could seem like a thrilling change of pace, but others heavily despise and dread the up and coming Sprint weekends. A lot of the sentiments come down to the lack of finesse and technicality of Sprint races, as well as the limitation of practice time and the forcible pushing of the cars to their limit.
A Gamble for Points
When it comes to the Sprint Shootout and the subsequent Sprint race, there is a notable absence of strategy in trying to score the most amount of points possible. Formula 1 is an extremely technical sport that relies heavily on the use of various strategies, gathering data to maximize speed and aerodynamics, and other elements such as a car's race pace and downforce. But when you cram an entire race weekend into such a condensed amount of time and then repeat that all again within the same weekend, you loose some of that technicality and finesse during the Sprint.
The frantic nature of a Sprint doesn't require the nuances of strategy to get pole position, but rather purely banks on how fast each of the cars can go flat out. Drivers don't even need to change their tyres over the course of the race. Because of this, Sprints are essentially a wild gamble for how successful a car is going to be. They are extremely risky unless the car is highly reliable and consistent in race pace.
Who Needs Practice?
Because of the addition of both the Sprint Shootout and the Sprint itself, the practice time that typically precedes a Grand Prix is severely limited and preparation for the race is slim to none. Drivers don't get nearly as much time as usual to get the feel of a particular track and how the car runs from previous upgrades or how the tyres will respond to the conditions of that track. On top of this, their engineers don't get to collect nearly as much data as they usually do, since the Free Practices are narrowed down from 3 sessions to just 1. And once that singular practice session is done, the teams used to be restricted from making anymore changes or add any upgrades to the car after the Sprint. But that rule has been changed for the Sprint weekends of 2024.
Now, if a driver goes through the Sprint Shootout and the race and performs horribly in their car, they have a short amount of time to make changes or they are essentially screwed to do the same thing all over again that day and the following one. For a team that can perform beautifully on track with a good car, such as Red Bull, there would be relatively few issues during a Sprint weekend. But for less consistent cars and teams in the mid to lower field, a Sprint weekend could easily turn out to be a complete disaster if they can’t make any necessary upgrades to their cars. And fans of those teams had better buckle up for one frustratingly disappointing weekend.
Pedal to the Metal
Lastly, one of the most significant problems of the Sprint format lies in the fact that drivers are forced to push their cars to the absolute limit just for the chance of scoring a possible 8 points. Now, granted, the drivers are still pushing their cars during their practice sessions on a regular weekend, but not quite to the caliber or intensity of a Sprint race. Free Practices come with breaks, when the engineers are trying to analyze the performance of the car. But during the Shootout and Sprint, the cars obviously aren't allowed this opportunity.
This is vastly important because the more a car is pushed to the limit, the more the tyres and the car's durability are degraded and worn down. Of course, a Formula 1 car is still an extremely durable vehicle that can absolutely be pushed to its limit when need be, but the more that happens, the less a car is still at its peak performance. And throw in running the risk of crashing and rendering the chassis unable to race in the Grand Prix the following day, the drivers have a great deal on their plate to manage and a lot to loose.
A Sprint weekend isn't without its benefits, of course, otherwise it wouldn't have been added to the calendar in the first place. Some fans love the new format for the additional opportunities it presents for drama between drivers, and one of the only things that is really lost over the weekend is the non-competitive practice being replaced by much more competitive action. All in all, the Sprint race will either have you loving or hating it, and there's enough races in the calendar to get a good taste of both formats.
