• Toto Wolff has criticized the experimental sprint racing format of Formula 1.
• The Mercedes team boss says the risk is too great for little reward.
• Formula 1 could have the sprint race format for eight races in 2022.
• You can find more car stories on Wheels24
Toto Wolff called for a review of the current sprint qualifying format and said he was not a “big fan” as there was “little to gain and a lot to risk”.
For 2021, Formula 1 has presented a new race weekend format that will be tested in three rounds of the season, in which a 100 km sprint race will replace the traditional qualifying on a Saturday.
The well-known formats Q1, Q2 and Q3 will continue to take place on these weekends, but instead on Friday to determine the sprint qualifying.
The results of the sprint qualifying then determine the starting grid for the main Grand Prix on Sunday. Three points are offered for the P1 finisher in Sprint Qualifying, two for P2 and a single point for P3.
Wolff speaks out
Wolff therefore does not believe that these points justify taking great risks in sprint qualifying because, on the other hand, the penalty is a bad starting position that will severely affect the race for a driver.
In fact, the second sprint qualifying in Monza was criticized for the lack of overtaking opportunities.
Wolff is quoted by Motorsport.com: “The weekends with the sprint race undoubtedly have a commercial advantage, as Friday will be a more intense day thanks to the qualifying, a race on Saturday and the Grand Prix on Sunday. But I’m not a big fan of the sprint race as it is now on Saturday, there is little to win and a lot to risk because the score is very low and you certainly don’t want to be at the bottom of the grid on Sunday. “
Wolff therefore believes that either the number of points available or the length of the race will need to be checked if Sprint Qualifying is to persist.
He suggested: “Maybe the point system or the length of the race should be reconsidered. If the start counts at the end of the day, we can only do two laps …”.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has suggested that sprint qualifying could become more frequent from 2022, maybe even up to eight stages.
Lewis Hamilton
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