The F1 sprint race element that should be dropped

OPINION: Formula 1’s sprint race weekend format returns with the upcoming Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The championship deemed its 2021 experiments to be so successful it wanted double for 2022 before team cost arguments scuppered the plan. But one change that has been made for the next three sprints makes them even more controversial

“I'd completely forgotten that that we had a sprint race there!”

To be fair to Charles Leclerc, he’s got a lot else to consider right now. There’s a title fight on, with Ferrari hoping to finally end a 14-year title drought. And it’s off to an excellent start from both driver and team, which is competing on home soil at Imola this weekend.

There, as Leclerc was amusingly reminded after his dominant Melbourne win, no doubt, and deservingly, dominating his thoughts as he spoke to the press, the first sprint race weekend of the new season will take place. It’ll be the fourth in the championship’s history since the sprint format’s 2021 debut.

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Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.