This past weekend was not a race weekend, but I will focus on sprint races and how they tie into the Qatar Grand Prix. The F1 sprint schedule is fairly new and was added in 2021. It is a way to create even more unpredictability and obviously another fun race to watch.
The sprint calendar includes a mini-race and a mini-qualifying. Both occur on the same day, usually the Saturday before the race. This bumps the regular qualifying to Friday and gets rid of practice sessions 2 and 3. So, what makes the sprint race different from a regular race? Well, sprint qualifying, or the “sprint shootout”, is much shorter than regular qualifying. This pushes drivers to complete nearly two laps to count for time, but no pitstops. It is typically 62 miles of racing with no pit stops. The main focus is on overtakes. The winner of the sprint race gets 8 points contributed to the championship. Sprint races are not implemented at every race, only certain ones on the calendar. This year those races are Azerbaijan, Austria, Belgium, Qatar, USA (Austin), and Brazil.
Moving to the upcoming Qatar race and the regular sprint schedule. The format is:
Friday – Practice 1 & Qualifying
Saturday – Sprint Shootout & Sprint Race
Sunday – Final Race
The issue with sprint races is it is 1 pointless to many drivers, and 2 presents many safety concerns. Sprint races promote risk and crashes. They want drivers to entertain, that’s the whole point of the race. However, when drivers do take that risk to win the sprint race and potentially put themselves in a position to wreck their car, they do not reap the benefits. With the final race occurring the next day there is no opportunity to repair damaged cars. In turn, many drivers don’t take that risk and the sprint race just ends up being extremely boring.
For the Qatar race the sprint event has much more gravity than ever before. This sprint race could determine the 2023 Driver’s World Championship. If Max Verstappen wins the Qatar sprint race, he will be the 2023 reigning champion, but will he risk it? It is obvious his vehicle surpasses many others on the grid, but that’s not the only factor in possibly throwing the race. He could do so to make the upcoming final race more exciting. Winning the Qatar Grand Prix would be more impactful than the Qatar Sprint Race. He also has the points to do so.
This race will be exciting due to its high stakes, but I’m more excited to report on Max’s decision regarding the sprint race. Only 5 more races after Qatar to conclude the 2023 season. The Qatar Grand Prix is at 1 p.m. EST!
