The topic that caused much discussion at the start of last season is back in the limelight: the 'sprint race', in fact it seems that the hypothesis of bringing them to six for next year can be materialised. Last year they spiced up the race weekends only three times, and this year, after a hypothetical increase to six, the leaders of Formula 1 have decided to do an about-face and return to last season's number. The reason would be partly attributable to an agreement not found on the modification of the budget cap to deal with an increase in appointments which would certainly have had a significant impact on the finances of the teams. There is no doubt that the sprints on Saturday give entertainment and guarantee the 'three days' of a race weekend, the absence of moments judged by some as 'boring', filling the lack of real action on Friday with the addition of qualifications that decide the grid of the mini-race, in order to give emotions that you certainly don't feel with two free practice sessions. On the Saturday of the weekend in Imola we witnessed a sprint capable of not just causing palpitations to many fans, once again igniting the confrontation between the two tyrants of the drivers' standings, with Leclerc who after a flaming start snatches and keeps the lead until the penultimate lap leadership of the mini-race to the adversary Max Verstappen. Not only that, however, in fact, behind the lines we have seen remarkable comebacks, even if expected but never taken for granted, as in the case of Perez and Sainz; and twists, such as the contact between Gasly and Zhou. An overall positive balance from the entertainment side, and this is objective, but not all sports fans let themselves be convinced by this innovative format, not even this year, preferring the traditional qualification with the rule considered sacred by many: who sets fastest lap, starts up front on Sunday; adding that the sprint allows those who didn't do well in qualifying to correct themselves on Saturday, thus removing action and surprises from the Sunday event. As anticipated, the idea of updating the 2023 seasonal calendar with six sprints has rekindled; in fact, today the Formula 1 commission is discussing the issue in London. If anyone is in favor of increasing mini-races, it is Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto, who says: “We are in favor because it will offer better opportunities for the show and the box office, so it's cost effective. In terms of costs, the key points of the question are the maximum expenditure ceiling, revenues, whatever can be useful. In terms of format, on the other hand, that's another matter… In any case, we're in favor of increasing it to six, then maybe we can review the format. As we have said in the past, we have some experience with the sprint race format and with the current format there are some ideas; so, we will talk about it and see what will come of it”.
SOURCE: GP fans
