Sprint race shows why pole position offers Leclerc little advantage in Red Bull fight

11 comments on “Sprint race shows why pole position offers Leclerc little advantage in Red Bull fight”

1. 

   LyndaMarks
   29th April 2023, 22:57

   This is one of the biggest drawbacks of the sprint format and why i maintain that it devalues the GP.

   We have now seen a full race build-up, Race start and basically the opening stint of a race which has answered many of the unknowns we usually go into a Sunday with.

   We know everyone’s race pace, We know how the tires are going to act, We know how likely overtaking will be and how the race is likely going to play out because we saw the patterns today that help you see that.

   The argument that the sprint takes nothing away from the GP as the Liberty apologists like to claim ignores all of those things.

   I think the best thing to do on these sprint weekends is just ignore them. Maybe just tune in for the GP and skip the rest of it. Although some of the most dedicated fans feeling like they want to skip weekends should surely be seen as a negative for any sensible owners of any sport.
   1. 

      S
      30th April 2023, 7:58

      We have now seen a full race build-up, Race start and basically the opening stint of a race which has answered many of the unknowns we usually go into a Sunday with.

      What unknowns? Have you not been watching F1 at all for the last year?
      Red Bull are way faster over a distance than everyone else.

      The sprint does take nothing away from the GP. The GP is the GP no matter what other sessions there are. Each team has already absolutely optimised their entire weekend by the time they get on the plane to fly to the circuit, and completely set it in concrete by Friday afternoon.
      The only thing that changes is your expectations – which are entirely in your own head.

      If anything – having sprints before the GP has shown team that that they have to fight harder at the start. Thaty’s been the case with most sprint weekends in the past.
      1. 

         Axel
         30th April 2023, 10:44

         I have watched last year and I believe the first third of 2022 was quite close between Ferrari and RB. So I agree that a sprint took away from the ‘mystery’ of knowing how strong a team would be in the race compared to qualifying. Sure the teams already know, but we don’t know for sure.
         1. 

            S
            30th April 2023, 11:01

            That was last year – and, yes, the first part of last year was indeed closer. But then Red Bull dominated thereafter and now it is this year….
            We don’t know for sure – nobody does – but there have been plenty of firm indications which play out at every event and are evident here yet again.

            Let’s just be sensible and honest with ourselves – this is extremely unlikely to be a classic at the front of the pack.
            The sprint doesn’t change that.
   2. 

      Biskit Boy (@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk)
      30th April 2023, 8:44

      +1
      Totally agree with the above. Verstappen is bang on. The FIA and Liberty should be putting their effort into making the GP itself better.

      The root issue is the races can become processional and predictable. Changing the sporting rules such as Standing Restarts and Sprint Races doesn’t really address this.

      Technical rule changes are required. DRS was supposed to be temporary, it needs to go. The new ground effect regs are a step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done.

      Make the racing closer and all of the other problems will seem minor.
      1. 

         Alan Dove
         30th April 2023, 8:57

         The racing is MotoGP is ‘closer’ and that has a LOT of problems right now. It’s not an easy balance to strike.
         1. 

            Biskit Boy (@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk)
            30th April 2023, 9:12

            Ah now we are talking about something a bit different. This is an area where Liberty have excelled and I praise them for it. Yes we are talking… swallow… that word… “Marketing”.

            MotoGP is a great product badly marketed. F1’s marketing is amazing and its a great product too. I’m criticising it because I love it. I want it to be better. it can be.
            1. 

               Alan Dove
               30th April 2023, 9:34

               It’s hard to market MotoGP because the narrative right now is chaotic. There’s a reason Rossi and MotoGP were such a potent force. In MotoGP right now you have a guy whose won the last race now trundling around near the back of the field. From a marketing perspective that produces a complex set of problems. MotoGP isn’t marketed well, I agree, but right now it feels a bit like a random results generator. That’s the risk when the competition is so close. Whether people like it or not we do need heroes and villains and titanic battles between quite a small number of competitors. Otherwise there’s nothing cohesive from a narrative point of view.

               it’s a careful balancing act.
   3. 

      Olivier
      30th April 2023, 12:35

      Here’s how my ideal weekend would look like:

      Friday Practice 1: a one hour session with Reserve/Third/Rookie drivers only
      Friday Practice 2: a one hour session with Reserve/Third/Rookie drivers only
      Saturday Qualifying at noon
      Saturday Sprint Race in the late afternoon, with a reversed grid from the Saturday Qualifying
      Sunday Practice: a one hour session with Reserve/Third/Rookie drivers only
      Sunday Grand Prix

      Using Reserve/Third/Rookie drivers for the practice sessions is a variable that helps create mystery as their performance differ from the actual drivers. And using a reversed grid for the sprint race offers back marker teams the chance to fight for points in the short sprint race.
      1. 

         Olivier
         30th April 2023, 12:40

         *To be clear: The start order for the Sunday race would be determined by the Saturday Qualifying. And not by the Sprint race.
2. 

   Jere (@jerejj)
   30th April 2023, 4:35

   I can’t see Leclerc winning unless RBR gets a double-DNF or issues/damage.
   Even if he keeps P1 at the beginning, like yesterday, he’d most likely get passed the first time DRS becomes activatable on the S/F straight, assuming both RBs are still behind without damage.

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