The 2021 Formula 1 season saw the ground-breaking introduction of “Sprint Qualifying” at three select events. The first “F1 Sprint” was held at Silverstone, the second at Monza and the third run in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The weekend format shifted around a bit, with FP1 held as normal but then followed in the evening by the now very familiar qualifying session.
This set the grid for Saturday’s Sprint qualifying session, although it looked very much like a race to me. In between qualifying and the sprint was a fairly redundant practice session run on higher fuel with the car setup’s already locked in.
The result of the Sprint set the grid for the race on Sunday.
2021 was a successful trial
In many ways the introduction of the sprint weekend format was a success as the driver who qualified fastest on Friday evening did not start the Grand Prix on Sunday from pole position, although Bottas did win the sprint in Monza before dropping to the back due to an engine penalty, the only driver to qualify fastest and win the sprint the next day.
Each Sprint session also directly impacted the race day following. In Silverstone, Max and Lewis went to war, which led to the collision at Copse. In Italy, Bottas’ penalty promoted Daniel Ricciardo onto the front row alongside Verstappen, which he made full use of to snatch the lead and win the race.
In Brazil, we were treated to one of the single greatest race performances by Lewis Hamilton as he came from last on Saturday afternoon to win the Grand Prix on Sunday.
It was also a win for the three circuits hosting them as it attracted more fans to the circuit across the weekend as there was competitive action on each day, which also was great news for TV broadcasters as they raked in higher viewing figures.
Thinkbox, a TV marketing body which posts BARB data, 2 million people tuned in to either Channel 4 or Sky Sports to watch the Sprint session make its first appearance at the British Grand Prix.
Interestingly, 1.4m of that 2million opted for Channel 4. Sky does a great job for F1 but while it’s behind a pay-wall, it will always struggle to match C4F1. Maybe that’s why Sky only shared their own coverage on free-to-air for the Abu Dhabi finale?
This success would surely result in more sprint race weekends in 2022?
That was the plan, to double the amount to six but in Zak Brown’s column on the McLaren website, it became apparent that there was some politics getting in the way of the additional sprint sessions.
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After mentioning that some teams are “looking for excuses to raise the cost cap”. He cited “ongoing lobbying” with the aim of increasing the cost cap for sprint race damage as one of the reasons.
It seems that this lack of agreement between the teams has led to the hoped for six sprint races being halved back to three, as was the case in 2021.
It seems that the Sprint Race – let’s call it what it is – will be staying with us and growing over the coming seasons.
The question I ask here is, which races in 2022 should host a sprint weekend?
Factors to consider
There are a few factors to consider as I consider each circuit’s suitability to hosting such a weekend. First, some circuits have not hosted a Formula 1 race since 2019 due to the COVID pandemic, meaning they will have lost two years’ worth of revenue from fans attending and the sponsors putting their names to the event.
These include Melbourne, Montreal, Marina Bay and Suzuka.
We also need to consider which layout’s offer a sensible option for the sprint race to work, as there is no point having an extra third of a race around Monaco or Budapest, given that overtaking is much tougher at those circuits.
The track’s I view as having the best overtaking prospects are Sakhir, Silverstone, Spa, Monza, Sochi, Austin and Sao Paulo.
In 2021, mostly due to the COVID situation, there were two sprint races in Europe with the third held in South America, meaning the Middle East and Asia missed out. That should be rectified this year.
My three choices must combine the spectacle of racing with the fan track experience, allowing the circuit to benefit from it, as the grandstands are hopefully full to capacity across the weekend. No region can hold two sprints in a single season.
Where I would go
Montreal, Canada
My first choice would be to take the sprint weekend to Canada. A main stay of the F1 season and the venue for many crazy races, including Lewis Hamilton’s maiden win and Jenson Button’s victory in the longest race ever in 2011.
Ordinarily I would not take the format to a street style track as they generally have limited opportunity for overtaking, or it is the Jeddah circuit.
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal is different in so many ways. The speeds taken around much of the lap have the drivers hanging on at various parts of the track and it can be fairly straightforward to follow, although since the 2017 aero regulations came in, that has become much more difficult.
The long back straight offers up a prime opportunity to divebomb an opponent with the pit straight allowing for a second bite or revenge into the turn 1 & 2 complex, which usually provides close racing.
Montreal’s close walls will give this running of the sprint an added element of jeopardy that has not been seen thus far. A small error can prove massively costly, not just in terms of losing a position or two but you can very quickly damage your car.
We saw Sergio Perez ruin his British GP weekend with a spin at Chapel curve while Pierre Gasly destroyed his chances of a possible podium in Italy with a clumsy clunk of his front wing and subsequent accident shortly after.
It is a Grand Prix always well attended and the fans are noisy and knowledgeable – for a true Canadian perspective on F1, checkout my friend Matthew Kane and his Dirty Air F1 Podcast or CCF1 on YouTube, they’re both fantastic at what they do!
Canada has been sorely missed form the calendar in the last two seasons and a return with an extra day of serious racing action would reward those fans greatly for their patience and suffering without their race.
With multiple grandstand areas as well as some other unique viewing points around the track, hosting a sprint weekend would be of huge benefit to the Montreal circuit.
Spa, Belgium
Oh Spa, we love you. Although we did not love the gallons of rain that fell there on race day in 2021. In a similar vibe to holding a sprint race in Canada, F1 has some making up to do with Spa following last year’s shambles.
The Spa-Francorchamps circuit has long been a favourite of drivers and fans alike, with its long straights, sweeping corners like Pouhon and Blanchimont or the fabled Eau Rouge and Radillion challenge.
It provides such a challenge from a driving standpoint and from a technical car setup view too. Lean more towards stability in the high-speed middle sector and you could become a sitting duck on the straights. Leave yourself with too skinny wings and you’ll be tasked with simply surviving Pouhon and Stavelot, although if you get a sniff of an overtake, you’re in a strong position.
From a purely personal indulgence point of view, I could watch F1 cars charge around Spa all day and an additional competitive racing around this famous circuit would be warmly received.
In 2021, all three sprints were held in dry conditions. There were two qualifying sessions that were held with wet conditions, one of which was in Belgium, where George Russell so nearly took a stunning pole position – which would actually have given him his first win considering how Sunday panned out!
With Spa being famous for its changeable weather, given that it is in the heart of the Ardennes Forest, that would be a fascinating factor thrown into a sprint. How would the team’s respond to some drizzle in the air and a lower midfield runner suddenly lighting up the timing screens in that sector.
One wrong move could undo your race weekend but some skilful driving or a bold risk could be the launch pad to a big result.
We missed out on so much action in Spa last year, let’s repay those fans who withstood the downpour in ’21, with some extra value in 2022.
Sakhir, Bahrain or Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi
Bahrain is already a really good track for overtaking with its big stop into turn 1, then the switchback sequence that feeds the run to turn 4, the other prime overtaking invitation. A night time sprint would be pretty cool too.
Yas Marina debuted its updated layout in 2021 with the new hairpin at turn 5, where Max pounced on Lewis to grab the lead on the final lap. There was also the long-left hander at the end of the second straight and the opening up of corners in the final section.
Both now have circuit layouts that provide good racing opportunities and can host a more unique version of the sprint as it can be held at day time, twilight or fully under the lights. F1 and the FIA could get creative with this as there is potential to hold the qualifying, the sprint and the Grand Prix all in completely different conditions – that is to say, timewise.
Friday qualifying could be held late into the evening, with much cooler track temperatures and the sparks dancing from under the cars. Remember, parc ferme is in place so the setup is locked in.
The sprint could then be held in mid-afternoon, with higher air and track temps which challenge the cars and drivers as they balance the desire to attack with possibly melting tyres. The Grand Prix on Sunday could then be run at twilight.
What intrigues me about this is the wide range of potential setups that could be used. If you go for pole on Friday, you might need to get heat in the tyres quickly, which could hurt you in the sprint. Hang on and you’ll be rewarded with favourable race conditions and a good starting place. Get it wrong and you might find yourself in trouble with tyres in the sprint or stuck in traffic.
We could see more drives like Lewis’ in Brazil, with drivers starting lower and coming through with a car tuned for race running.
Driver psychology would also be in play with choosing one of these two as Bahrain opens the season while Abu Dhabi closes it. Start the season with a sprint race and drivers will be eager to make an immediate mark against their team mate or a rival team, while some rustiness might leave some drivers with work to do on Sunday.
Opt for Abu Dhabi and, championship situation dependant, we could have a massive scrap for crucial extra points or something of an exhibition race where drivers can express themselves.
Bahrain is my preferred option from the pair but it has it’s drawbacks. The only fan grandstands are on the pit straight, by turns 1-3 and on the back straight, behind the paddock.
I would hope the powers-that-be of the Sakhir track, would put some new viewing points around the track. Turn 4 for starters, as one of the main zones of excitement. The sweeps of turns 6 & 7 would be a good place to watch the cars dancing on track. Also, something at the final corner as there can be some jostling there too.
I feel that the creativity of the session times could certainly be used to add flavour to the weekend format but how brave F1 would be with that element is questionable.
We await F1’s decision
At the time of writing, none of the Grand Prix weekends have session times confirmed, which perhaps indicates that there are still discussions being held about where to have the sprint events in 2022, amongst other things.
The 2021 trial was successful and I’m very intrigued to see how F1 develops the concept in the coming seasons.
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Cover Image from - https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-money-dispute-could-scupper-2022-sprint-race-plans/7397123/ - Credit: Motorsport Images & Jerry Andre