Todt not a fan of sprint qualifying: "I don't think F1 needs it"
FIA president Jean Todt says he's not a fan of Formula 1's sprint qualifying format, which will be trialled at the British GP for the first time.
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
The 17-lap Saturday race will determine the starting line-up for Sunday's grand prix at the Silverstone and Monza events, and also at one flyaway event that has yet to be confirmed.
Speaking at the French GP, Todt said he doesn't think F1 needs the novelty of a Saturday sprint, but he's willing to give the new format a go, believing that there's nothing to be lost by experimenting.
"Number one, we don't call that a race," Todt said.
"I had part of the responsibility of not calling that a race. For me the race is on Sunday. If you ask me if I'm a big fan of that, the answer is no.
"I don't think F1 needs it. But on the other side, if people want to try something, it's not going to hurt the race on Sunday. It will be a different way of having a starting grid on Sunday, so it costs to nothing to try.
"I'm curious to see what will come out, but I'm sure that it will not damage the race on Sunday.
"People may say it was more interesting on Saturday than on Sunday, but that's not too big a risk for the image and for the credibility of the of the championship."
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, and Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes W12, prepare to lead the field away for the start
Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
Almost a year after the late start of the 2020 world championship, Todt praised the efforts of F1, the FIA and the teams to keep staging grands prix through the pandemic.
"We all know that we are going through a difficult time," said Todt. "And I think the job everybody has been contributing to make all that happening is absolutely remarkable.
"I usually say that it's in difficult times that you see the strength together, and I think it has been the result of a combination since we restarted the championship last July, almost one year ago.
"This week, we should not be should not have been here, incidentally, it should have been next week. We are going to face three grands prix in a row. Every time it has been a problem, a solution has been found."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Related video
Krack: Aston Martin F1 team no longer in “no-man’s land”
Gasly rues costly floor damage from Ocon contact in F1 Japanese GP
How an F1 underachiever became a Japanese political player
Norris had no reason to apologise for China F1 sprint showing, says McLaren
Supercars New Zealand: Heimgartner splashes to Taupo opener victory
Hamilton: Norris would have been better off conceding in Turn 1
Leclerc: Sainz “over the limit” with defence in F1 Chinese GP sprint race
The short-term pain that hides a very real Williams improvement
How a Shanghai to Sheffield journey paved the way for China’s F1 hero
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
How the F1 driver market situation sits for each team with 2025 openings
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments