Perez: F1 hasn't achieved aims with sprint format, backs idea of reversed grids

The race weekend in Sao Paulo concluded F1's larger offering of sprint races over the 2023 season, having expanded from three to six for this year. This came amid a change where the sprint would no longer have an impact on the full grand prix's qualifying order, with Saturday acting as a standalone day for the sprint qualifying and race events.

However, reception among the drivers remains particularly tepid, with Max Verstappen vocal about his desire for F1 to abandon the sprint experiment and revert to a "normal race weekend".

This followed a sprint encounter in Brazil which had moments of intrigue beyond the top three amid races for position as tyre degradation began to bite, but could be perceived to have been less successful compared to its 2021 and 2022 offerings.

A shuffle in the order of sessions is expected for 2024, with sprint qualifying set to be moved to Fridays, but Perez has suggested that the FIA should tinker further with the format and stated that he would now advocate for a reversed-grid sprint race.

"I think if they want to keep this format of the sprint races, we've got to change it," Perez replied in response to a question from Autosport about their desired sprint weekend tweaks.

"I would propose a reverse grid, something that can make it more interesting for the fans because I don't think it's working what we want to achieve.

"Nothing really happens in this sort of races. I think [a reversed grid] will mix up things and create more opportunities, a lot more overtaking.

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14, at the start

"If we want to keep this format, [we should] give it a go on something quite different, because I think for the last two years this sort of event hasn't brought a lot of good racing."

One criticism among the drivers after the Sao Paulo sprint was that the high degradation levels seen in the soft tyre forced them into tyre management from the early stages of the 24-lap race.

Although this made the race not particularly enjoyable for those drivers, Lando Norris countered that if everyone had tyres that could be pushed on for the whole race, the race would have been even less eventful.

"You still push to the limit you have; of course, you're not pushing like it's qualifying, but I don't think we ever have in F1," Norris reckoned.

"But you still saw good racing, apparently, from everyone behind. If everyone is pushing flat out, I would say you almost probably see less overtakes than what you would today. In that sense, you're probably asking for a more boring race, which is not what you want.

"I think what we had today is tough, and maybe not the most enjoyable; you don't feel like you're pushing that much, but, um, you're still driving on the limit of the grip you've got and all of those things.

"It's still a challenge for us behind the wheel, I think it's exciting for the people who get it right and people who don't get it right. But if you've got no degradation at all, then I'd probably say you're not going to have one overtake for the whole race."