Carlos Sainz believes that Formula 1 urgently needs to tweak its sprint format. According to the Spaniard, the shorter race concept could be made much more exciting. Sainz, who achieved the best sprint result ever for Williams (P3) at the US Grand Prix, is open to radical changes – including mandating soft tires or even the infamous reverse grid start in the sprint.
During the race weekend in Mexico City, Sainz was asked about the sprint format. The concept, which was introduced at the British GP in 2021, attracts a lot of attention worldwide, although there is sometimes doubt about the added value of an extra race. “You can have a wet race in Canada, or even a drizzle in Singapore – then a sprint race suddenly goes down in the books as the best ever,” Sainz responded soberly. “I’m more concerned about a change in the format. I think Stefano (Domenicali, ed.) is open to that.”
The Williams driver emphasized that the current sprint weekend is too predictable. “At the moment, I’m not a big fan of the sprint, because it essentially reveals what the first stint on Sunday will look like,” he continued. “That’s because the qualifications also follow the same format. I would prefer that some other ideas be applied to the sprint, so that not too much about the race is revealed.”
‘Sprint Format Needs More Excitement’
According to Lando Norris, drivers could be required to start the sprint on the softest tires. “Normally, we only opt for the soft tires on a limited number of circuits, especially in the opening phase. So that would be an easy short-term solution. Also, so we don’t have to throw away five sets of tires every weekend,” he joked. “Every week we drive a lap on soft tires during qualifying, and then we hand them back in. I have no idea where Pirelli stores them all.”
However, Norris believes the format needs more than just new tire rules. “It probably needs to be spicier – the sprint needs more excitement. They also provide a good opportunity to test different formats. If it works, great, and if it doesn’t, you change it again. We’ve done that in the past.” The Spaniard is even open to a controversial idea: “I’m not a big fan of a reverse grid, but I wouldn’t be against trying something different. The sprint qualification could also be different, with perhaps a superpole in SQ3. You just have to keep adding something new and continue experimenting.” Norris concluded: “If it works, great, and it’s better for the format. But if it doesn’t, don’t be afraid to say: throw it in the bin, acknowledge that it didn’t work and try something else.”
