F1’s experimental sprint weekend format made its debut at the British Grand Prix, with qualifying being moved to Friday and a 17-lap sprint race on Saturday serving to determine the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Wolff thought the format was well done and considers it “in limited form” for a place on the calendar, but cited Sergio Perez as an example of how the “randomness” of the event can ruin weekends.
The Red Bull driver spun and eventually dropped out of sprint qualifying, which means he’ll start at the bottom for Sunday’s British GP.
“I think it’s entertaining for the spectators on the track,” said Wolff.
“A start is always interesting and good content. And it was obviously fun watching Alonso. So overall I think it’s a good addition.
On the subject of matching items
“Not me [want to] see it at every race. I think there is too much coincidence.
“When you see Checo leak and then withdraw, the last one is not where Sergio Perez should be. It could really work against you if you are one of the front runners. There is too much coincidence.
“But I think if the next one goes like this, I think it will have a place on the calendar in limited form.”
On the subject of matching items
Lewis Hamilton was fastest in qualifying and finished second ahead of Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in the first sprint event after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took the lead at the start.
Wolff added, “I’m not a fan of live experiments. But this one is not very controversial. I’m totally against reverse grids, it’s just a fake.
“But everyone started from the right positions here. I think qualifying was yesterday [Friday] and qualifying should also be called qualifying and not a sprint race. But that’s really a detail.
“I think it was a bit boring towards the end, but until then I would say it is legitimate.
“I think if it’s a kind of ‘Grand Slam’ for a couple or a couple of races, I think it’s good because you have real entertainment on Saturday.
“We’re prime time on Friday evening, prime time Saturday night and of course the Grand Prix.
“I think we can tweak the format a bit. But basically I think if we do five races like this, I’ll be a professional. Maybe four is the right amount, not five. “
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