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Opinion | Sprint Races won't solve fundamental Formula 1 issues
The first sprint race will take place at Silverstone in this week's British Grand Prix. The schedule will look significantly different. But those hoping it will turn F1 around, shouldn't get too excited. Sprint races won't help close the gap between the field nor will it create many shocks and surprises.
Helping the rich
When this idea was initially discussed, we expected Mercedes to be dominant again. With Red Bull Racing closing the gap to Mercedes over the winter, we're set for an interesting season-long battle for both Formula 1 World Championships. At least now we'll get a battle during the sprint races.
But anyone hoping it will close the gap between the top and the midfield will be out of luck unless it's raining. It's just going to be more of what we get already for the midfield teams. It isn't really going to help them gain more points or give the fans something a little more interesting.
The two real fundamental problems Formula 1 face currently are the fact that the cars struggle to overtake each other, and the lack of jeopardy on the majority of circuits means we don't get to see the drivers skill under serious pressure. The sprint race will only add to this issue.
A second chance
Lewis Hamilton got his 100th pole position this season, and Max Verstappen is there to pick up any pieces the Mercedes driver leaves behind or vice-versa. Very rarely do the top drivers make mistakes in Q3, but they are under pressure. Particularly in 2021, one mistake in qualifying could result in a disappointing grid spot for Sunday's race. Looking at 2021, Perez [P11] in Bahrain and Bottas [P8] in Imola.
In Imola as well, Norris was very close to putting his McLaren on pole position. Just a little mistake placed him further down the field. But any jeopardy experienced in qualifying during the alternative weekends could be removed by the time the main event rolls around on Sunday. It gives the top teams a second chance to get further up the grid should they experience trouble in qualifying.
The reverse of this argument could also be used. Using the same example, should Norris had qualified on pole position, it's highly likely that Mercedes and Red Bull would've found a way past the McLaren driver in a sprint race. A chunk of merit unravelled ahead of the main Grand Prix.
Unintended consequences
And then there's the boring stuff. Qualifying on a Friday. How is this going to affect TV audiences? A lot of the European audience [and local audience] will be at work on a Friday. Is it really going to help attendance on a Friday?
What happens if running is unable to be completed on a Friday, say due to heavy rain? What if FP1 can't be completed? Do we go straight into qualifying without a practice session? Is qualifying then moved to Saturday? Lots of questions which F1 and Liberty Media will have answers to. But do the answers cause more trouble? All will soon be revealed.
Possible positives
As mentioned above, we've got a title fight between Hamilton and Verstappen. We get to see some extra racing between them, perhaps some wheel banging on both Saturday and Sunday.
If it rains, we're in for a lot of excitement. Recent memory tells us that a slippy track shakes up the order a little bit. If that happens during a Saturday sprint race then we've got a jumbled up starting grid. And if at least one of the big teams has a DNF in the sprint race, then we'll get a mini reverse grid. But really, the same can be said about those points during a normal Saturday qualifying session, and how often does that happen?