“A damn gimmick,” Fans not impressed as F1 confirms radical sprint weekend changes for Azerbaijan GP
F1 has confirmed the sprint race weekend changes for Baku, but fans are not particularly happy about it, and expressed their displeasure.
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The much talked about sprint weekend changes have been confirmed for the F1 Azerbaijan GP
Formula 1 has confirmed the much-reported race weekend changes to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. It will be a one-off test of this format, and it may be implemented again in the future depending on its success, viability, and popularity. There had been much talk and hype leading up to the announcement, and really, it was only a formality that it would be implemented.
The changes mean that in Baku, fans will only see one practice session. This will be a deviation from the normal sprint race format, which had two practice sessions, one on Friday and one on Saturday. Instead, on Friday, there will be one practice session, and then qualifying for the feature race. On Saturday, there will be qualifying for the sprint race, and then the sprint race will take place. Sunday will be unaffected, and will, as usual, have just the F1 feature race.
The sprint qualifying, termed ‘Sprint Shootout’ will follow the normal qualifying Q1/Q2/Q3 format. However, the sessions will be shorter, with Q1 being 12 minutes, Q2 being 10 minutes, and Q3 being 8 minutes. The drivers will also be required to run mandated tire compounds; mediums in the first two sessions, and soft tires in the final session. The sprint race, as usual, will feature ~100 kilometers of track action.
Normally, on an F1 sprint race weekend, the schedule went like this: On Friday, there would be a practice session, followed by a qualifying session for the sprint race. On Saturday, there would be a practice session, then, the sprint race. The results of the sprint would determine the starting order of the feature race. With the changes, this is no longer the case. It also means that there will be far more ‘action’, though this is not necessarily a good thing. At least, it hasn’t pleased many fans.
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Fans are not particularly pleased with the sprint weekend changes
In fact, it seems that most reactions to the F1 sprint format changes, at least on Social Media (Twitter) are negative. This is despite the fact that they are expected to increase excitement on the weekend, making every session ‘count’. However, it seems that most fans in the replies to the announcement prefer the conventional format without a sprint race at all.
It has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works for teams who plan to introduce upgrades in Baku. The fact that there’ll be only one practice session, means that there may not be enough time to properly understand the effect of the new parts. It also means that if the car gets damaged on the Friday practice session, then the concerned team is in a race against time to get it ready for the qualifying session the same day. There’s even less room for error now.
Only time will tell how this format change works out and is really received. One thing can be expected: The weekend will certainly be chaotic. After almost a month without Formula 1 action, fans will soon be treated to 3 (2 feature, and 1 sprint) races in 9 days! That should be a welcome prospect, however, many feel that sprint races dilute the prestige of F1. Despite that, they have been expanded and possibly may increase in the future as well.
In case you missed it:
- Revised F1 ‘sprint race weekend’ format with massive changes could be introduced at the Azerbaijan GP
- “Good for the sport,” FIA president voices his support for new sprint weekend format that ‘undermines DNA of F1’
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Aniket Tripathi
(1002 Articles Published)