Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has spoken out against renewed calls for Formula 1 to introduce reversed grid sprint races.
Prior to the introduction of the sprint race format in 2021, F1’s owners Liberty Media made a concerted effort to introduce reversed grids to the world championship. The plan was overwhelmingly opposed by drivers, who likened it to ‘WWE’-style artificial competition.However F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has continued to push for reverse grid races. Following a processional sprint race at Circuit of the Americas on Saturday, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner again raised the idea of introducing them.
Wolff, however, remains implacably opposed to the idea, and suggested F1 should drop the sprint race format entirely. “I’m conservative in racing,” he said. “I’d rather have no sprint races.
“Then if we start to meddle even more and do more reverse grid races, we’re going more to a format of junior formulas – sport follows entertainment, whilst entertainment should follow sport.”
The attraction of F1 lies in having a true competition between teams, he said. “The honesty about the stopwatch is what attracts us. Creating artificial gaming around the sprint race on a Saturday is not the way that I would favour personally.
“But that’s my opinion. At the end, all teams together with Stefano we just need to think is it the best for the sport.”
Max Verstappen, who won Saturday’s sprint race, restated his criticism of the format last weekend, saying it takes away the magic of grands prix. However Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were more positive about sprint races.
F1 held its fifth sprint event of the season last weekend and the 11th since the format was introduced two years ago. The final sprint round of 2023 will take place in Brazil.
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CarWars (@maxv)
24th October 2023, 12:38
As fan I agree. Sprint races just means more content, not necessarily worth it though. Less is more. We already got enough races.
CarWars (@maxv)
24th October 2023, 15:39
To add. I think the current sprint races influence the race too much. If that was its intention it could have been done differently. The 1 practice quali becomes more of a gamble. And now several teams didn’t get the ride height correct, which makes it a bit amateur hour.
The Edge (@the-edge)
24th October 2023, 18:15
And at least 2 did, so whose fault is that? By your logic we should have dropped the new spec,, as some bounced
The Edge (@the-edge)
24th October 2023, 18:19
Can’t see why you don’t like Sprint weekends, the more racing the better IMO
Craig
25th October 2023, 12:14
1 good race is far better then 2 sub par ones.
Axel
24th October 2023, 12:39
Amen
We can argue for years about how to make sprint races worthwhile. But by now we should realize that they simply are not an improvement and should be dropped?
The Edge (@the-edge)
24th October 2023, 18:20
Speak for yourself pal, they’re excellent
Craig
25th October 2023, 12:16
The fact we’re still trying to think up ways to improve sprint underlines how bad the format is.
Ferdinand
26th October 2023, 12:18
The circusification will continue despite anyone’s opinion. Let’s not forget the purpose is to increase revenue coming out of Liberty’s franchise.
Alex
24th October 2023, 13:12
I’ve enjoyed the sprint races. The minimal practice means the grid is often a surprise in qualifying, and the short race means there is a genuine question about whether teams will be able to overtake. They are less predictable, and (typically) more of the outcome is decided on-track rather than through pitstops.
A reverse grid combined with a short race would take that chaos too far: there wouldn’t be time to make up the starting position, and – while we’d see a lot of great defending – ultimately the points awarded would not reflect the quality of the cars or driving.
I’d rather keep things mostly as they are… expect perhaps have P1 Thursday, P2 + P3 Friday, Sprint Quali + Sprint Race Saturday, Full Quali + Full race Sunday with the option to work on the car after the Sprint Race. Then cars might have a different setup and different performance for the two.
Shimks (@shimks)
26th October 2023, 10:17
I also like the sprint race format. I say, reverse the grids and extend the sprint races a bit. It would be a lot of fun.
Jere (@jerejj)
24th October 2023, 13:40
The current sprint format is working adequately well generally, so changing for the sake of changing would be pointless.
Matthijs (@matthijs)
24th October 2023, 13:53
I often feel that the sprintrace itself is quite ok. The sprint shootout and the sprint race are much more entertaining to watch than a free practice. However, sprint races are hurting the GP, the main event. These races tend to be more predictable than regular GPs and I feel saturated of F1 halfway during the race. I am not looking forward to the GP as much as normal when I already watched a race on Saturday.
Jonathan
25th October 2023, 17:17
This for comment of the day. My thoughts exactly.
AndrewT (@andrewt)
24th October 2023, 14:01
I would love to bid farewell to sprint weekends, either in favour of regular weekends or the mandatory tyre selection weekends (or how they called). Sprint itself feels very alien to the DNA of F1, reverse grid would be a non-sense in this series.
I think F1 has much more serious problems to tackle than introducing “improvements” to a format that shouldn’t even exist.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
24th October 2023, 14:08
He’s correct and I think a majority of people think this. Reverse grids might be better in some respects but it does seem more like a last ditch attempt to liven something up which is not very popular. I wish the F1 would just give up on the sprints really as I don’t think they are adding very much.
Yellow Baron
24th October 2023, 15:26
In seasons like this, reverse grid sprints could become more popular than GPs. It forces top drivers to race each other, while simultaneously racing slower cars. Much like Malaysia 2010. And it doesn’t disrupt the GP on Sunday. I think all fans wants to see the top drivers actually racing each other. It may be artificial this way but that’s the point! It’s the sprint not the GP getting a reverse grid!
MacLeod (@macleod)
25th October 2023, 7:47
+1
Mega
25th October 2023, 8:58
So in quali for the sprint it’s a race to be slowest..? To combat that we impose a minimum speed during the sprint qualm, and we get new limiters on the steering wheel for a minimum speed as we have for the pits.
It’s not a sport on merit anymore the second you reverse the grid.
I’ll watch my kids play Mario kart anytime before looking at such a farce.
S
25th October 2023, 9:22
Uh, no… That’s not how a reverse grid system works.
Which part of it is merit-based now?
And watching your kids play Mario Kart should absolutely be a higher priority than watching F1. They’ll appreciate your time and engagement far more than F1 ever will – as you should too.
kuvemar
24th October 2023, 14:23
Oh shut up, Toto. F1 is broken and needs to be fixed. Stop being against everything.
AlanD
24th October 2023, 14:25
I agree with the bulk of the comments here and elsewhere, that I’d rather they just did away with sprint races. They are not a “sprint”, don’t offer anything different, and detract from the main event. If it was different drivers or an F2 support race, or even the W-series meets F1, that would all be interesting and add something to the weekend, but just another version of the GP with largely the same results is so dull.
MichaelN
24th October 2023, 15:03
As much as I don’t care for the sprint race, just about all of F1 is an artificially made entertainment product, or ‘artificial gaming’ as Wolff says. Pretending it’s only the sprint race that’s somehow out of the norm is not the best of arguments against this latest iteration on the format.
This is the premier FIA-sanctioned motorsport competition in the world – yet there is no development allowed on the engines, and there’s even an openly admitted to Balance of Performance agreement between the participants.
Sham (@sham)
24th October 2023, 15:19
Better to have no sprint races.
Everything after that is superfluous.
They are a single stint replica of the Grand Prix, with all of a Grand Prix’ issues (tyres, etc.) and none of the strategic intrigue.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
24th October 2023, 16:03
I doubt a reverse grid sprint format would make for particularly exciting races, especially if it was to form its own championship separate from the main Grands Prix.
Teams would still have to use the same cars and equipment to take part in the sprint races, and a damaging incident in a sprint could put your main race at risk. So the top teams (who start near the back in the reverse grid format) will not want to risk much overtaking slower cars ahead of them. More likely they’ll trundle around at the back, picking off rivals only in the most gilt-edged, DRS-assisted circumstances in order to preserve their cars for the main event. If they even bother to take part at all.
Jiikoo (@jiikoo)
24th October 2023, 16:05
I would like to see current sprint format with sprint shootout and race combined. First one 15 minute shootout session with everybody on a track. Basically like current SQ1 session but it would decide the grid for the sprint. Then short break like 15 minutes before starting the sprint race. Whole sprint happening would take just about an hour. Actually the sprint could be started with current standing start procedure after red flag.
Reverse grid sprint race might still be quite predictable. There is so big difference between top 5 and bottom 5 teams. Current championship points used as reverse grid would mean Stroll starting from P9 and Piastri from P11.
Of course the best thing would be to drop sprint races.
Leksa (@leksa)
24th October 2023, 16:59
How could they survive 60 years without sprint races and reverse grid gimmicks, and now it’s like something that’s a must? Just forget it. Forget they were ever tried, just like Bernie’s elimination qualifying which we agreed not to mention ever again. If they want more action for the weekend, just add more rounds for F2/F3/Porsche Supercup/F1 Academy series. Leave F1 alone, I beg you.
Khürt Williams (@khurtwilliams)
24th October 2023, 18:35
I don’t like the Spring races, and I think the idea of reverse grids is nonsense. The reverse grid emphasises luck and starting position more than driver skill and experience. I appreciate the skill and strategy involved in traditional racing, and reverse grids diminish this.
Coventry Climax
24th October 2023, 18:55
Better to have no sprints. Period.
And no, I didn’t bother to read Wolff’s words.
melanos
24th October 2023, 22:23
Wise choice
Ohio Flyer
24th October 2023, 19:11
For the first time ever, I agree with Toto Wolff. It’s the end of civilization as we know it!
Velocityboy (@velocityboy)
24th October 2023, 20:25
I’m not crazy about the sprint races and would prefer they go away. However, if they must stay, the change I would make would be to eliminate putting the cars in parc ferme and allowing the teams to make significant changes to the cars after the sprint.
Bart
24th October 2023, 22:58
Agreed.
Like Max said, the sprint race shows where the cars are capable of. Then you know what will happen in the feature race.
When Max qualified 6th for the main race, you could have thought that someone else might win. After the sprint race it was clear that the Red Bull would get an easy win despite the 6th starting position.
Red Bull changed the brakes, which is allowed under Parc Ferme rules as it is safety related, and it turned out to be a change for the worse. Still Max won, so much better was his car as the Sprint race had revealed.
The Sprint Race does indeed take the magic away. And generally only delivers excitement in the first lap. What a poor trade-off.
Zann (@zann)
24th October 2023, 20:57
It’s almost a philosophical question isn’t it. The point of the race weekend is to see who can do it best. But of course in theory who’s best is already best! So there’s this instinct to start them deliberately in the opposite order, so we get a visual impression of the best not necessarily looking like the best in the pictures.
And the Americans are very tuned into the visual aren’t they? As well as being bolder and more goal-oriented.
But anyway, as Max says, the sprint starts to answer the question about who’s best and that obviously makes the main race less important. So I can see why Stefano likes the reverse grid, just because it doesn’t show who’s best in the pictures, or as much at least.
But what they need is some entertainment on Saturday that isn’t F1 actual racing. The girlz, how obvious is that
Exediron (@exediron)
24th October 2023, 23:57
No argument here. No sprint races would be the ideal solution.
Martin Bradley MORRIS
25th October 2023, 2:47
Spice up the GP instead of playing with meaningless Sprint.
Make the use of all three compounds compulsory in whichever order team whish, with no lap restrictions on each compound. This would then require two mandatory pit stops. This would mix up the strategies and lead to less predictable racing.
S
25th October 2023, 9:26
They’ve proposed that in numerous ways before, too. Rejected.
Michael A.
25th October 2023, 7:54
For goodness sake, abolish the entire sprint race format! It is just plain stupid, brought on by those who have no idea what Formula One is all about.
A Grand Prix is truly a Grande Epreuve – that is what matters!
Don’t they realise that the sprint thing is turning enthusiasts away in droves.
Can we have just one week between Formula One Grand Prix races without mention, anywhere, without mention of Sir Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff, please?
S
25th October 2023, 9:25
Not very enthusiastic then, are they…
That’s the easiest thing you could possibly ask for. All you need to do is stop searching for F1-related content.
Craig
25th October 2023, 12:29
The sprint format, at it’s most basic level, adds nothing to F1 and is only causing continued problems, the fact we’re still trying to find ways to “improve” it only underlining the fact. If there really is an insistence to having 2 races then drop this mealy mouthed format and have 2 full races.
Say at 2 or 3 meetings where there isn’t much of a support race schedule have 2 practice sessions and qualifying on Friday (a driver’s fastest and 2nd fastest times dictating their starting positions), a practice session with limited scope to make changes before race 1 on Saturday with similar on the Sunday but cars fully removed from parc ferme conditions until the pitlane opens for the race.
DMC
25th October 2023, 20:23
Ok, lets drop the sprint races and have a kart race in equal high performance karts that decides the grid for the main race! Most tracks have kart track in the middle. I know this would never happen but can you imagine all the best drivers in the world duking it out on a kart track! Then we would see who is the best. The veiwing figures would go through the roof!! As one great driver once said karting is the purest form of motorsport, well lets have the two extremes.
Steve
26th October 2023, 20:03
Why not make Friday a sprint day quali followed by shootout and Saturday a practice followed by quali with parc ferme post qualifying.