87 replies to this topic

[pacificquay]

So, Sprints confirmed at Imola, Red Bull Ring and Interlagos.

 

Three too many if you ask me.

 

 

 

Also they now say the driver who tops qualifying will be "awarded pole position for statistical purposes" although the sprint winner will start the Grand Prix from pole, er, first place.

 

A nonsense!

 

 

And points will be awarded to the top 8 on an 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

 

Again, ridiculous - the Grand Prix is the only place that points should be earned on an F1 weekend.

[Francesc]

Crap and a waste. Specially with the all new cars, but at least it won't be six of them.

Great idea to have one at Imola.LOL

[PayasYouRace]

I don’t agree with calling the winner of qualifying the one with pole position. Pole position is the one who starts the race at the front.

 

Other than that, I enjoyed the sprint format so no complaints about it returning. If the new cars race as well as they’re hoped to, more racing in a weekend should be good.

[ConsiderAndGo]

I don’t agree with calling the winner of qualifying the one with pole position. Pole position is the one who starts the race at the front.

 

Other than that, I enjoyed the sprint format so no complaints about it returning. If the new cars race as well as they’re hoped to, more racing in a weekend should be good.

Isn't it incredible that these are supposed to be a bunch of pretty intelligent people yet they make this kind of decisions. 

 

Its devoid of any reason or rationality. Hopefully there's such a backlash that this is changed. We cannot have a pole position by name only. 

Edited by ConsiderAndGo, 14 February 2022 - 16:52.

[pacificquay]

I don’t agree with calling the winner of qualifying the one with pole position. Pole position is the one who starts the race at the front.

 

Other than that, I enjoyed the sprint format so no complaints about it returning. If the new cars race as well as they’re hoped to, more racing in a weekend should be good.

 

There's already too much racing - 23 races!

 

It dilutes the impact of each event, making it more just a round of the World Championship and less of an event in its own right.

 

16-18 Grands Prix and none of this nonsense would be about right - and if people need more racing to watch than that then it means they've more time to watch IndyCar, FE, BTCC, WEC, lawnmowers etc

[Fraser1994]

The new points system is pretty meaningless given it’ll probably just be a 1 point swing in the standings.

[Mark1865]

I find Imola a strange place to hold a sprint race, without adverse weather it’s extremely hard to overtake. Or at least it was, I suppose it’s a good test for the 2022 cars.

[Bleu]

If the point gap between best two is between 52 and 60 going to Brazil there is a chance that championship will be decided in the sprint.

[Ferrim]

Three less sprint races than expected. And no sprints at Silverstone, Monza or Spa. I'll take that.

[genius83]

If the point gap between best two is between 52 and 60 going to Brazil there is a chance that championship will be decided in the sprint.

But Brazil is not the season finale so that argument is already out of the window.

[John B]

My biggest complaint is that three arbitrarily chosen events have a greater impact on the overall points count than others, and can directly impact the WDC in a case like last year.

[Burtros]

Fine with me. While I only watched Brazil all three Sunday races that followed the sprints were belters for some reason.

Let’s roll again and see if it repeats or was just coincidence.

[Heyli]

I'm actually quite happy with a sprint race in Austria. Wasnt sure if I already should got there on the friday and now there's a very good reason to do so! and an extra race on top.

 

Other than that, last season I was most excited about the first sprint race, but the others were a bit mwah for me...

[loki]

There's already too much racing - 23 races!

 

It dilutes the impact of each event, making it more just a round of the World Championship and less of an event in its own right.

 

16-18 Grands Prix and none of this nonsense would be about right - and if people need more racing to watch than that then it means they've more time to watch IndyCar, FE, BTCC, WEC, lawnmowers etc

 

 

Or you could choose to not watch all of the races.

[r4mses]

Three to many.

[RainyAfterlifeDaylight]

Sprint race pretty much is all about being flat out and that is what I like about it. No mind games, just drive as fast as you can.

[Ruusperi]

Feels like they were feeding news about 6 sprint races so that they could sell 3 sprints for the teams more easily. Next year they say "we want 12 sprint races, but we're willing to do a compromise with 6".

 

Ditch them for good. And ditch that person, who came up with this brain-dead idea. Make him a head of Nascar.

[Clrnc]

Last year all 3 sprint events conjured up fantastic races so lets try it again. Fine. 

[JeePee]

3 is better than 6 in this case.

[68targa]

Brilliant idea  - they are now moving to have 23  sprint races which can then have their own championship - maybe for test drivers.  Then have 23 GPs for the the 'stars' but they will want to liven up quali a bit so, hey,why not have a another short quali race that counts for pole but won't be called that and won't have points awarded unless you are a lapped car that makes up the whole lap and then you get 1 point and ............. um.... I think I've lost myself ... help      

[FNG]

I don't mind them as long as they stay at three only. It's nice for a bit of a change but no more than three tops

[Claymore25]

Nefarious decision.

[ARTGP]

Last year all 3 sprint events conjured up fantastic races so lets try it again. Fine. 

 

I can't reconcile my ire for sprint races with the fact that they were some of the most dramatic race weekends of the season.  Was it coincidence? Or is the sprint an essential component?

Edited by ARTGP, 14 February 2022 - 21:30.

[TheFish]

Me: Sprint races are rubbish

Also me: I’m going to Imola, a sprint race, great!

🤦‍♂️

[Risil]

I can't reconcile my ire for sprint races with the fact that they were some of the most dramatic race weekends of the season.  Was it coincidence? Or is the sprint an essential component?

Of course they made a difference. At Silverstone it gave Lewis and Max a trial run for Sunday's lap 1, at Monza Hamilton lost places off the start which he had to recover during the Grand Prix, at Interlagos it allowed Lewis to start the race from midfield instead of the very back of the grid.

 

What's tricky is that all three of them affected the race in different and unpredictable ways. But this is more or less how we thought they would go: it adds another race start to the mix which is traditionally the most unpredictable part of the weekend. The sprint races should really be 3-5 laps long.

[Viryfan]

I can't reconcile my ire for sprint races with the fact that they were some of the most dramatic race weekends of the season.  Was it coincidence? Or is the sprint an essential component?

 

I think sprint added an element of tension where title contender struggled to cope with.

[JimmyClark]

I can't reconcile my ire for sprint races with the fact that they were some of the most dramatic race weekends of the season. Was it coincidence? Or is the sprint an essential component?

I wonder if less free practice time had something to do with it.

[JimmyClark]

My biggest complaint is that three arbitrarily chosen events have a greater impact on the overall points count than others, and can directly impact the WDC in a case like last year.

The points system is annoying. To win the 3 sprints you get 24 points, 4% less than a grand Prix victory, yet three second places is 21 points, 17% more than a grand Prix 2nd place.

I would say that the races are a third distance, so roughly a third points should be available for each, meaning that essentially the three sprints are equivalent to one grand Prix in both distance and points value for the front runners.

Thus...
1st - 8 points
2nd - 6 points
3rd - 5 points
4th - 4 points
5th - 3 points
6th - 2 points
7th - 1 point
(Rest non score)

[PitViperRacing]

IMO if they're going to do sprint races in the manner they are, I would advise the following:

 

- Pole position is decided in qualifying, with qualifying results being the starting positions for the actual grand prix.

- The sprint race is the same points as they've already stated, but it's a reverse grid based on qualifying results. It has no bearing on the starting position for the Grand Prix, but gives the bottom teams a chance to fight for points.

 

This keeps the integrity of qualifying as setting pole position, and then provides a short race with an incentive for overtaking, and in a format that'll see alot of overtaking/on-track battles being done (the short distance means the slower teams won't just let the top dogs past, and there's an incentive for them to fight for points in the constructors).

 

If you're going to do sprint races, IMO that's the best solution.

Edited by PitViperRacing, 15 February 2022 - 00:08.

[Aaaarrgghh]

I am not a fan of sprint races or arbitrary inconsistencies (changing the definition of pole position for no reason, for example), so they really nailed it this time for me.

Edited by Aaaarrgghh, 15 February 2022 - 07:17.

[PlatenGlass]

Also they now say the driver who tops qualifying will be "awarded pole position for statistical purposes" although the sprint winner will start the Grand Prix from pole, er, first place.

What about grid drops in non sprint weekends? Will "pole" still go to the fastest qualifier?

(E.g. a Schumacher Monaco 2012 situation.)

[PayasYouRace]

There's already too much racing - 23 races!

 

It dilutes the impact of each event, making it more just a round of the World Championship and less of an event in its own right.

 

16-18 Grands Prix and none of this nonsense would be about right - and if people need more racing to watch than that then it means they've more time to watch IndyCar, FE, BTCC, WEC, lawnmowers etc

I’d happily take 32 races in 16 weekends. Too many race weekends, not enough racing.

[Man of the race]

From six to three? They left room for improvement.

 

Two races on the same location is boring and makes the whole show dull and repetitive. The spectacle is not there any more.

 

I have the same feeling for too many race weekends, but at least the track is different.

Edited by Man of the race, 18 February 2022 - 11:36.

[Yoshi]

Based on Ross - they are aiming for 6 sprint races for next season.  

[F1 Mike]

I swear they do not care at all about overall reaction.

You have the world champion and winner of the sprint race saying they're rubbish,and F1 saying let's have more of them.

[statman]

Based on Ross - they are aiming for 6 sprint races for next season.  

 

[Adam Cooper] An expansion of F1 sprints from three to six for 2023 is being debated today. Ross Brawn explains why he wants an increase - "We've just got to be so careful, as we don't spoil the main event".

[masa90]

Sprint races suck. I have yet to see an even ok one.

[SenorSjon]

We would have had a better race on Sunday with the grid from Friday. Sprint races give out-of-place drivers an extra stint to recover like Sainz and Perez did.

[Dimocash]

Sprint races suck. I have yet to see an even ok one.

I did like the first few laps of the Silverstone GP 2021 and the Imola GP sprintrace. It was a tough battle.

[JimmyClark]

The problem is that sprints will not be good as they are still consequential for the main race - drivers will always hold something back, which detracts from the point of the sprint. 

 

If we are going for six races, I think I've suggested this before - a 1/3 race distance 'sprint championship' with normal points (which don't count towards the main championship). The grid is decided by the current championship standings, with the top 10 reversed. 

 

After the 6th round (which should be at least 3 races from the end of the season), the top 10 'sprint standings' will get 25-18-15-etc. points to add onto the main championship, with a bonus point for most 'sprint wins' (if equal, then most sprint fastest laps decides the point). 

 

So that gives incentive to race well in the sprints, but making a mistake isn't the end of the world as it doesn't affect the current weekend, and statistically no poles or wins in sprints will be counted, so it doesn't affect the stats purists (like me). 

Edited by JimmyClark, 26 April 2022 - 14:41.

[Anderis]

We would have had a better race on Sunday with the grid from Friday. Sprint races give out-of-place drivers an extra stint to recover like Sainz and Perez did.

In theory, the sprints can work both way.

They give a chance for out-of-place drivers to recover but they also provide a chance for drivers in quick cars to have some issues, mistakes, collisions etc. which would put them out of place in the main event. The problem is that the former has happened more often than the latter so far so the balance has been rather negative.

Another problem with the current format is that I find qualifying less satisfying to watch knowing well that any positive and negative surprises from Q can get "undone" before the start of the main event.

 

I support the recent idea that the main race should have its grid based on the qualifying rather than sprint race. But then there's the question what should determine the grid for the sprint. If we have 2 races with the exact same starting grid, it's kinda boring.

[IrvTheSwerve]

The only way I will ever tolerate sprint race weekends is if it is an entirely different ‘championship’ and is run on a different circuit layout (e.g. Bahrain outer)…or even something fun like reverse grids. 
 

Running a race on the exact same circuit a day before the GP is an awful idea. We’re not talking about a crazy racing series with lots of heats and plenty of action…F1 is predictable enough without a ‘dry run’ of the GP the day before.

Edited by IrvTheSwerve, 26 April 2022 - 14:57.

[Ruusperi]

Wonder when we will have another survey with loaded questions like: "How many new sprint races do you prefer in addition to the current ones? a) more than 3, b) more than 6,  c) more than 10".

On the other hand, when it's about money, why waste time asking about things that have already been decided.

[NewMrMe]

I wonder what the reaction will be when (as will inevitably happen at some point) one of the main contenders DNFs a sprint race and has to start the GP last.

[Rodaknee]

Brawn is finally retiring at the end of the year.  Who'll be pushing for sprint races after he's gone?  Will Liberty run out of nonsense ideas when he's gawn?

[PayasYouRace]

We would have had a better race on Sunday with the grid from Friday. Sprint races give out-of-place drivers an extra stint to recover like Sainz and Perez did.

 

They also give in-place drivers a chance to be out of place, like Gasly and Zhou.

 

Works both ways.

[PayasYouRace]

I wonder what the reaction will be when (as will inevitably happen at some point) one of the main contenders DNFs a sprint race and has to start the GP last.

 

Drama! Like it would if a main title contender crashes in Q1, or DNFs on lap 1, or whatever.

[DutchQuicksilver]

Why more sprint races? Last year’s were so boring and so far this one wasn’t very good either. Also, the weekend format when a sprint race is on is so wrong. Still makes FP2 completely useless and I can’t get used to a qualifying on Friday for a mere race of 20 or so laps.

[Spillage]

Six sprint races is too many. Three is too many really. The weekend format doesn't really need spicing up. Sprint race weekends are not more exciting than normal weekends.

Edited by Spillage, 26 April 2022 - 19:20.

[JimmyClark]

The problem is that sprints will not be good as they are still consequential for the main race - drivers will always hold something back, which detracts from the point of the sprint. 

 

If we are going for six races, I think I've suggested this before - a 1/3 race distance 'sprint championship' with normal points (which don't count towards the main championship). The grid is decided by the current championship standings, with the top 10 reversed. 

 

After the 6th round (which should be at least 3 races from the end of the season), the top 10 'sprint standings' will get 25-18-15-etc. points to add onto the main championship, with a bonus point for most 'sprint wins' (if equal, then most sprint fastest laps decides the point). 

 

So that gives incentive to race well in the sprints, but making a mistake isn't the end of the world as it doesn't affect the current weekend, and statistically no poles or wins in sprints will be counted, so it doesn't affect the stats purists (like me). 

 

Oh, to add to this I would also make it a rule that each registered team driver is replaced once in the six races by the test/reserve or young driver (it can be the same or two different ones). So then we get to see new talent in a racing situation. They start in the grid slot that would be occupied by the driver they are 'replacing'. 

 

And I would make it that each sprint race is half constructors' championship points (on the normal scale), so they still take it seriously too. 

Edited by JimmyClark, 26 April 2022 - 19:34.