02/11/2023
FEATURE BY GUEST AUTHORS
Less than a year after updating the Sprint race regulations, F1 bosses are preparing to cook up another bland iteration of the concept. Their kitchen should be condemned.
When it comes to Sprint weekends, rule makers have shown all the imagination of a traditional English dinner chef. They've yet to serve any dishes other than a long race with a short race on the side. While the format gave fans a fresh taste of action for the first few bites, most have come to realize that Saturday's appetizer is spoiling Sunday's entree.
Now there's talk of reverse grids, $1 million prizes, and a stand-alone Sprint championship. But these ingredients won't give the Sprint race a distinct flavour. Changing the points allocation or doling out jackpots doesn't solve the problem that the Sprint and Grand Prix are just different sized portions of the same meal.
Instead, imagine a menu for selected Saturdays that offers multiple formats - never duplicated across a season - each of which bring unique challenges for drivers, create new talking points for fans, and foster a few surprises along the way. If F1 bosses really want to up the sport's spice level, here's the recipe.
Note: each proposed format uses the current Sprint-weekend set-up for Friday (FP1 and GP Qualy) and Sunday (GP).
Format 1: The Heats
Bahrain Grand Prix
F1 and rallycross have little in common. That changes with this format, which introduces five-car heat races and joker laps to Saturday's festivities. And that's not all. While dirt and snow isn't realistic for open-wheel cars, a wet surface is! That's why the joker section is continuously watered with sprinklers (an idea once peddled by Mr. E.) to a point that makes slick-tire running tricky, but not dangerous. This event rewards drivers who master the dual conditions and time the joker lap just right.
Logistics:
Mid-afternoon running starts with a twenty-minute practice where drivers try the wet joker section, running from turns five to fourteen of Bahrain's Endurance layout. Next comes thirty-minutes of qualifying to seed the heats. Two consecutive laps - one of which must be a joker - count as each driver's qualifying time. Drivers can make multiple attempts to set a fast time.
When the sun sets, the heats begin. Four preliminary races of five-cars each kickoff the evening, with seeds distributed so that higher-seeded drivers face lower-seeded opponents. For added jeopardy, drivers start from a randomly ordered, three-by-two grid to encourage closer racing into turn one. Each heat runs for four laps, with drivers free to choose when they take their mandatory joker. The four preliminary winners advance to the A Final, while the four second-place finishers make the B Final. Any heat impacted by a safety-car or VSC is red flagged, then rerun from the beginning without the stranded car(s).
To discourage team orders, points count toward the Drivers Championship only. Points are awarded for the A Final result (16, 12, 9, 6) and the B Final result (4, 3, 2, 1).
Format 2: The Reserves
Miami Grand Prix
Sprint races could be thrilling ... with different drivers, that is. Here's a concept that puts backups in the spotlight. Imagine an F1 Sprint with the likes of Palou, Pourchaire, Drugovich and Chadwick! That's exactly what happens in this event, with teams free to use any driver from their reserve, test or development lineup - Super Licence holder or not. And, because the regular Grand Prix runners have no interest in loaning their cars to these shunt-happy youngsters, F1 pays for each team to bring an extra chassis (like the old T-car days) to this event.
Logistics:
The opening session includes forty minutes of practice, immediately followed by twenty minutes of qualifying for all ten runners. Then, in the heat of the late-afternoon sun, a twenty-lap race - run to the standard rules - crowns the fastest reserve.
Because these drivers are not part of the official Drivers Championship, points count for the Constructors standings only. The top nine finishers score as follows: 20, 14, 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1. An additional 5 points are awarded for pole, and 1 for the fastest race lap.
Format 3: The Tournament
British Grand Prix
Taking a page from Mario Kart's "Versus" mode, these one-on-one showdowns pit drivers against their rivals in a single-elimination bracket, seeded by championship order. And, because opponents start side-by-side (not staggered) and race for just one lap, underdogs have a fair chance to upset favourites. For an added twist, DRS is available immediately after the first corner and can be used on any section of the track by the trailing driver, even if they're more than a second behind.
Logistics:
Saturday's first track action features four preliminary races, with the top twelve seeds receiving a bye. In each race, the highest seed chooses the inside or outside starting position. If two opponents fail to finish, neither advance.
The session continues with the Round of Sixteen. From this point onward, drivers must use the same set of tires. That means winners who push too hard jeopardize their chances for later rounds. Eight drivers advance to the late-afternoon matches, featuring the quarters, semis, B Final and, lastly, the A Final - from which the tournament champion emerges.
To prevent team orders in a teammate versus teammate scenario, points count for the Drivers Championship only. The A Final winner and runner up score 16 and 12 points respectively, while the B Final winner and runner up score 9 and 6. The four quarterfinal losers earn 3 points each.
Format 4: The Relay
Italian Grand Prix
Far from the contentious years where Prost and Senna teamed up at McLaren, most of today's pairings appear to get along. Even K-Mag and the Hulk act like besties. Well, here's a format that puts teamwork to the test in a twenty-lap relay race.
Logistics:
Saturday qualifying, to set the starting order for the relay race that follows, sees teammates work together, offering tows, to achieve their best lap times. At session's end, the fastest times from both drivers are combined to give each team an aggregate qualifying time.
The day's feature begins with ten cars (one from each team) taking a standing start. On the tenth lap, drivers pit and immediately pull into parc fermé. As each driver crosses the pit entry line, they trigger a countdown timer that determines when their teammate, waiting in their pit box, can hit the throttle and take over the race in their own car for the final ten laps. The countdown time differs slightly for each team to curb advantages for those stationed further head in the pitlane.
With teammates collaborating, points count toward the Constructors Championship only. The top nine finishers score as follows: 20, 14, 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1. An additional 5 points are awarded for pole, and 1 for the fastest race lap.
Format 5: The Countdown
Las Vegas Grand Prix
This format is inspired by an ineffective idea from the past (2016's elimination-style qualifying) and an inevitable idea from the future (reverse grids). The resulting combination ups Saturday's drama, especially for those at the head of the championship standings.
Logistics:
As Saturday twilight sets in, all twenty cars line up on the grid in reverse championship order for a fifteen-minute race. After six minutes, the driver running at the back of the field is eliminated. Each minute that follows, the last-place runner is cut until ten drivers are out. Any safety-car or VSC incident causes an immediate red flag, and the race is restarted from the point it left off, plus one minute.
The ten survivors advance to a two-stage race under the Vegas lights. Starting in the finishing order from the first race, drivers compete for another fifteen minutes. When time is up, the bottom five runners are eliminated. The five leaders return to the grid in running order for standing start. They complete a ten-minute final stage with no eliminations.
Points count toward both the Drivers and Constructors Championships and are awarded based on the results of the final race as follows: 16, 12, 9, 6, 4. The five drivers eliminated in the final's opening stage receive 1 point each, while 1 point is awarded to the driver with the fastest lap across all the day's countdown races.
It's time to move beyond the Sprint
Traditionalists may lose their lunch over these proposals. But like it or not, F1 operates in a landscape that combines a forever-expanding race calendar with forever-contracting attention spans. The series simply can't use the traditional format, race after race, for twenty-four events next year. Indeed, they'll need a charcuterie board of ideas to entice their audience. In the way fast-food chains are moving beyond beef, the world's fastest sport needs to move beyond the Sprint.