Pierre Gasly has expressed his view on the new sprint format implemented by F1 in 2021.
Sprint races were first introduced in 2021 as a short 100 km dash to the finish line. The race would take place after qualifying but before the main race on Sunday. Since the race is short it generally doesn’t require any pitstops too.
Last year and this year, both the times, three sprint races were hosted. Although the race might look interesting, one can argue its effectiveness for the drivers. Max Verstappen has argued against the implementation of the sprint format in F1 on several occasions.
Pierre Gasly will be joining Alpine in 2023 replacing Fernando Alonso and racing alongside Esteban Ocon. Gasly has also given air to Verstappen’s thoughts on the format:
“Personally I really like the normal format with the qualifying on Saturday and then one Grand Prix on Sunday,”
said the new Alpine driver.
“Spring races – I see the positives financially for the organisation. In terms of spectacle, it still hasn’t proved to me that it’s worth having more and more races. So in my opinion, the normal format is better.”
One can argue that the sprint format is hurting real racing in F1. The sprint race serves as a correction day for the drivers. For example, if a good driver had a bad day in qualifying, he can just charge down the field on Saturday in the sprint to get a better starting spot for Sunday’s main race. Moreover, since there are no pitstops it makes winning on strategies more difficult.
Further, the drivers who are fighting the championship will drive more conservatively to prevent any sort of damage. Keeping all this in mind, one can argue if the sprint format is really adding o a spectacle in F1 or just a way of filling the pockets for the sport.
In 2023, the sprint races will increase to six from three.
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