Photo by Resul Rehimov/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
F1 announced changes to the sprint format, starting this weekend in Azerbaijan
Formula One is back this weekend after an unexpected, and extended, early-season break.
And things will look a lot different.
The grid heads to the Baku City Circuit for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and F1 announced this week the new “Sprint Saturday” format. Designed to give fans something that matters on each day of the weekend.
Here is everything you need to know about the new sprint format for 2023.
What is a sprint race
First, we should address a more basic question.
What is a sprint race?
Sprint races in F1 are shorter events, run over just 100 kilometers. There are no pit stops — unless a team has to make some repairs — and the result is hopefully an all out “sprint” to the checkered flag.
At the Baku City Circuit this weekend, that means a 17-lap race that will last around a half-hour.
The revised format for 2023
Now we can talk about the new format.
In previous seasons, F1 had just one qualifying session on a sprint weekend. That would take place on Friday, and set the starting order for the sprint race on Saturday.
How the teams finished in the sprint race would set the grid for the Sunday Grand Prix.
While teams would get points for finishing in the top eight of the sprint race (with eight points allocated to the winning driver and team, descending to one point for P8) the fact that the starting order in the Grand Prix was set by the finish in the sprint race put drivers in some difficult spots. Sure, you want to push hard for a good finish in the sprint race, but as a driver you might not take a risk if the potential is there for you to crash out of the sprint race, and start at the back in the Grand Prix.
Better to take a P3 in sprint and start third on Sunday, than it is to push for a win in the sprint and start P20 on Sunday if something bad happens.
This year, the format is changed, and F1 has separated the sprint race from the Grand Prix. Now there is a Friday qualifying session which will set the order for the Grand Prix. Then there is a shorter qualifying session on Saturday which sets the grid for the sprint race.
The second one-hour practice session that traditionally takes place on Saturday has been removed.
How the qualifying will work
Furthermore, the qualifying session for the sprint race, termed the “Sprint Shootout” by F1, has a shorter, revised format.
In the traditional three-stage qualifying format for the Grand Prix, the first session (or Q1) lasts 18 minutes. The five slowest drivers are knocked out, while 15 drivers advance to Q2, which lasts 15 minutes.
At the end of Q2, the five slowest drivers are knocked out, and the top ten advance to Q3, which lasts 12 minutes.
In the new Sprint Shootout three stages remain, but the time is shorter. Q1 will be 12 minutes, Q2 will be 10 minutes, and Q3 is now just 8 minutes. There will be a seven-minute break between each session.
Also, new compounds are mandatory for each phase. Teams are required to run with medium tyres in Q1 and Q2, and with soft tyres in Q3.
How do the drivers and teams feel about it
McLaren
Reaction to the changes, and starting with a sprint race in Baku, has been mixed.
Aston Martin Performance Director Tom McCullough raised the specter of the added risk of damage and the cost cap implications, and Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner blasted the decision to add a sprint race in Azerbaijan as “ludicrous.”
“The reality is it’s absolutely ludicrous to be doing the first sprint race of the year in a street race like Azerbaijan,” Horner told reporters at the Australian Grand Prix. “But I think from a spectacle point of view, from a fan point of view, it’s probably going to be one of the most exciting sprint races of the year. From a cost cap perspective, all you can do is trash your car. And it costs a lot of money around there. So you know one race is enough in Baku. The fact that we’ve got two, there could be, well, some action there.”
However, as noted above separating the sprint race from the Grand Prix means drivers are perhaps free to take some more chances during the sprint, because there is no fear that a mistake on Saturday will leave you at the back of the grid Sunday. I talked with Lando Norris earlier this week for a feature story that will come out Friday, and we discussed the new format.
“I prefer it, because I prefer that the sprint race is not attached to the main race. For me having qualifying, an original qualifying format Q1/Q2/Q3 with knockouts, and having a main race on Sunday, that’s how I love Formula 1, it’s how I grew up watching Formula 1 so that’s what I hope they keep,” explained Norris on Tuesday.
“But I think the addition of the extra qualifying now on Saturday morning and the sprint race on Saturday afternoon is better for the fans. It’s more what they want, it’s a good opportunity for us, we love the racing, we love the pressure of it all. It’s also very enjoyable for us, I think even moreso for the fans,” the McLaren driver added. “I think now that it’s separate to Sunday, if you crash, if you make a mistake, it doesn’t matter in terms of it doesn’t count towards what is going to happen on Sunday, so you might be able to take some more risks.”
However, reducing practice time to just a single session at the start of the weekend poses challenges for the teams. Mercedes Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin outlined some of those challenges as the team previewed the changes this week.
“The drivers will go straight into a qualifying session on Saturday, which is very unusual,” said Shovlin. “It’s a tall order to expect the drivers to deliver a single-lap performance immediately so I suspect everyone will go for multi-lap runs. The medium tyre can handle multiple laps but without having several sets available, there’s a higher chance of getting unlucky with a red flag for example. I think everyone will get out on track and get busy trying to put laps in.”
In addition, the reduction in practice time will remove opportunities for the teams to learn, and adjust. “When you’ve only got FP1, it’s practically impossible to condense all the usual learnings across Friday and Saturday into one session,” said Shovlin. “You lose the opportunity to focus on the long run and you’ve got to think about what the real priorities are.”
How will this all unfold on the track?
We will find out in a few days.
