Why F1's sprint format needs a shake-up

Love them or hate them, sprint weekends are here to stay. Since their introduction in 2021, the sprint races have led to more interest from fans, broadcasters and race promoters, offering competitive running on all three days of a grand prix weekend. That's especially valuable on weekends when Fridays are disrupted by rain and paying spectators are robbed of on-track running. And while sprints place a bigger burden on the teams, they have also recognised the sporting and commercial value, and after several format tweaks it has now made them easier to digest.

But F1 doesn't want to stop at six sprints, and discussions are still ongoing to go up to as many as 12 in the future. As we understand it, the likeliest avenue is for that number to increase incrementally - say nine next year, for example - rather than double year-on-year.

I've personally not been a huge fan of sprints at first, but as time goes on, I am beginning to warm to the idea of more competitive action instead of watching paint dry for all three hours of free practice. Which other sport does that?

But if F1 is really serious about having sprints at half of its 24-race schedule, then something is going to have to change to the format.

Right now, sprints are too much of a blueprint for the main grand prix, featuring pretty much exactly the same format for qualifying and the race other than their length and tyre options.

Sometimes that works out well, when frontrunners happen to run into the trouble in sprint qualifying or when the lack of practice time allows less competitive teams to either hit the nail on the head with their set-up and pull off a surprise.

But with simulation tools teams are getting better and better at adapting to the single hour of practice, so that level of jeopardy is becoming rarer. And the relatively limited number of points on offer doesn't make the sprint result feel hugely significant anyway. Opening up parc ferme after the sprint, which allows engineers to do their actual job, is the correct thing to do but it also allows those who get it wrong to rectify their set-up woes into Saturday qualifying, making it even likelier that teams qualify in position for Sunday.

Sprint races in F1 have adapted well after the early teething troubles, but are further changes needed to avoid it being a repeat of the grand prix?

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

I have big philosophical issues with the thought of reverse grids or other major gimmicks to spice up the action, but maybe there is a halfway house solution that significantly changes the make-up of a sprint without touching the grand prix.

Between 2003 and 2005 F1 experimented with a one-lap shootout in various guises, in which every single driver would get one single attempt to set a qualifying lap. It was hailed as a way to have meaningful action throughout the hour, while all team sponsors would get equal exposure.

After much tinkering the format was canned for 2006 in favour of roughly the system in place today. But the biggest issue with the one-lap qualifying wasn't the idea itself, but the way it was executed. In 2003 and 2004 there were two different sessions, with the first setting the running order for the second, which allowed room for manipulation. The 2005 format of a two-run aggregate, both one qualifying and one on race fuel, made it even more convoluted and uninteresting.

One thing seems very obvious right now: if sprints are going to be a feature at 12 out of 24 races, they desperately need something they aren't offering right now

The way to make it work is to just stick to one single qualifying lap in one session. And to add a bit of much needed intrigue and jeopardy to the sprints, I would suggest a soft handicap for the frontrunners by starting in order of the drivers' world championship. As it stands today, Mercedes championship leader Kimi Antonelli would go out first when conditions are less than ideal, while the Cadillacs and Aston Martins would get their runs at the end.

Given the relatively small gaps between teams, there is the potential for a mixed-up grid, although it still wouldn't be enough to give the slower teams a free pass to sprint pole either, and driver skill will still be a big factor.

Two added benefits are that the format still wouldn't reveal the full competitive picture for qualifying, and that there will be no driver complaints about traffic. Everyone gets one shot with a clear track.

Verstappen was a shock provisional polesitter after Friday qualifying at the 2003 French GP, but profited due to a drying track when it had been wet for the other runners

Photo by: Sutton Images

I appreciate one issue with that is that you won't have the climax of the fastest cars and biggest names going at the end to vie for the sprint pole, with the big hitters all setting their one lap in the first 15 minutes, while changeable weather conditions would unfairly disadvantage drivers. But there is still enough interest to see exactly how far the frontrunners could be pushed down the order and how much work they would face in the sprint to claw their way to the front.

In addition, I have yet to encounter anyone who really cares about sprint qualifying, so making a small narrative sacrifice to produce a much more interesting sprint race on Saturday feels like a price worth paying. It may be slightly artificial, sure, but it is nowhere near as contrived as reversed grids while still offering some the potential of faster cars qualifying out of position. In a 30-minute race without pitstops, that is always going to be the most effective way to induce on-track action.

In any case, the one-lap format would only be applicable to a less consequential sprint race, while main grand prix qualifying would still hold onto its tried and tested three-segment format, so it's a good proving ground without touching the purity of the grand prix itself.

You may agree or disagree with this idea, but one thing seems very obvious right now: if sprints are going to be a feature at 12 out of 24 races, they desperately need something that they aren't offering right now. A different flavour.

Could one-lap qualifying see more surprise grid orders?

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images