Sprint races approved and happening in 2021. Balls.

[XcraigX]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Let’s face it, even if you’re knowledgeable, FP1 and FP2 are frankly as dull as dishwater from a TV perspective

How ignorant media can get? FP was there to setup car and test updates (you t...), and now you will make a TV show out of it?

Let's make every session a race! With its own championship! And medals awarded for some races, wreaths for others, and trophies yet for the rest (and every finisher gets a certificate). And probably a different rule book for each one.

"The Golden Turd" to be awarded for the last place finisher in the Sprint.
"The Bronze Corkscrew" to be awarded for the first crasher.
and
"The Chrome Horn" to be awarded to the first person pushed off the track.

[Aty]

I can improve on that. Should Max win the Sprint, he will have to start race in pit lane, and must drive the race in reverse. Hamilton menwhile will take his place in the front of the grid, and after heroic drive he will become Duke (of something). Then either he will move to Colorado USA and starts Driving School for commuters, or he becomes next Prime Minister of UK. Whatever is more convenient for him.

[MonteCristo]

Let’s face it, even if you’re knowledgeable, FP1 and FP2 are frankly as dull as dishwater from a TV perspective

How ignorant media can get? FP was there to setup car and test updates (you t...), and now you will make a TV show out of it?

Let's make every session a race! With its own championship! And medals awarded for some races, wreaths for others, and trophies yet for the rest (and every finisher gets a certificate). And probably a different rule book for each one.

It'll be highly exciting, and everyone will be hyper engaged by the festivities!

You forgot that there should also be bonus points for every driver who can spell their name.

Lawrence Stroll: "Can I buy a riding mechanic to do the admin tasks?"
Liberty: "Sure, that'll be $5 million."
Lawrence Stroll: "Bargain."
Liberty: "Sucker! That'll sure to be a ratings smash hit!"

[MonteCristo]

"The Chrome Horn" to be awarded to the first person pushed off the track.

... Awarded to the first person Paul Tracy beats over the head mid-race.

Another ratings smash hit!

And if ratings tank, beatings will continue until morale improves.

[MonteCristo]

Yuji Ide can return and surely get full points if we include a "fastest to write their name" category.

Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton Larbalestier unlikely to trouble the scorers.

Lance Stroll wins through technicality by writing "x".

[Aty]

It’s not working, so this is how we change it…

While Liberty Media and Formula One Management claim the Sprint format is for the fans and to improve the show, it is actually about bagging more money as Liberty continue to milk their prized F1 cow…

https://www.grandprix247.com/2023/11/11 ... should-be/

Lengthy article. My shorter recommendation - cancel Sprint format.

[Everso Biggyballies]

F1 Commission agrees changes needed for sprint format

Hoobloodyray..... F1 have finally realised that the Sprint format is flawed. Really it isnt rocket science. The way the Sprints fit in to a race weekend at the moment is about as stupid as you could possibly make it, and compromises the main vent the Sprint crap is allegedly meant to enhance. Yes I see th benefits to all of having a second shorter race at random GPs, but not when it has such a detrimental effect on core focus... that of the main GP..

Anyway, a meeting of the F1 Commission has seen support for further changes to the sprint format to separate it from the rest of a grand prix weekend.

The current schedule sees qualifying for the main race take place on Friday night after one FP1 session, and then the sprint shootout and sprint on Saturday before the grand prix on Sunday. Drivers and teams feel that schedule locks them into parc ferme regulations too soon, and it has been agreed that the format needs revising.

While no firm changes were outlined, discussions are set to take place in January over potential ideas such as moving the sprint shootout to Friday evening and the sprint then taking place before the main qualifying session on a Saturday, although a reverse grid for the sprint could also be looked into following support from a number of drivers.

https://racer.com/2023/11/24/f1-commiss ... nt-format/

Lets just hope something that is a genuine improvement comes up. Probably divorcing it entirely from the World Championship and fit it around the main race qualifying on a Saturday race on Sunday format. Have the Sprint nonsense as a secondary challenge, At least it seems that they realise what we currently have is unquestionably flawed .

[XcraigX]

Oh. Maybe the Sprint is before any practice laps? A complete free for all with no park ferme? Make whatever adjustments you need during the race to try and win?

[DoubleFart]

The drivers who want a reverse grid are the losers like Hamilton who knows the only way they can win is to start ahead of Max, but know their quali pace won't allow it.

F1 drivers in favour of rules that favour them shocker.

[Aty]

Speaking for myself only, Sprint cannot be improved. It is IMO rotten, toxic product with only one objective - make more money for some people. They can sprinkle Chanel No 5 Eau De Parfum over it, but the unpleasant olfactory sensation remains. This is a foreign concept to traditional (classic?) GP racing.

[Michael Ferner]

They should do away with the main events, and increase the distance of the 'sprints' so they make a good replacement of the 'Grands Prix'. Those pit stop lotteries are a waste of time.

[Michkov]

Just 60 odd first laps on Sunday afternoon. It's not like much happens after lap 2 anyway

[PTRACER]

They should do away with the main events, and increase the distance of the 'sprints' so they make a good replacement of the 'Grands Prix'. Those pit stop lotteries are a waste of time.

...but then the Sprint would become the Grand Prix? They should just ditch the stupid tyre rules. Seen too many drivers having to pit on the last lap of the race and lose their position because they were compelled by the rules to take another set they didn't need.

[Vassago]

Ditching the tire rule would mean everyone would be on the best possible tire all the time - with no refuelling and potential extra stop beneift on lighter tank - these races would be even more processional. That's even if FIA would manipulate the allocated sets so that teams would have to run the worse compound at some stage (and the best teams would run it in Q1 so that come race day the worse teams would have fewer better compounds and the gaps to the front would increase as well).

[PTRACER]

I disagree, because being the faster car on a slower tyre also stops you from overtaking. And besides that there will still be the strategy of doing one stop less than the other guy. Its fine to see a car create a 20 second gal by driving the wheels off the car, if we know he needs to pit again. And maybe coming out just behind or wheel to wheel with his rival and having to overtake. That's how things were in the 90s. I'm very much into bringing back refuelling as well, and smaller fuel tanks, which means smaller cars.

[Everso Biggyballies]

I must admit I have always disliked the "every team must use two of the three chosen tyre compounds" each race meaning they have to stop at least once even if they dont need to. I woud much rather they had the old system where there would be a choice of compounds and each car could use whatever choice of tyres they wanted. If they wanted to run one set for the whole race they could, likewise they could go for softer tyres and do multipl stops if they felt that suited their car better. Different cars use their tyres in different ways, some seem to be harder of tyres than others.

To me its nonsense and ridiculous that like Sainz recently had to stop on the last lap, not because he needed to stop, but to meet the mandate of using two different compounds. In the process of that he dropped from a decents points position out of the points and as a result come the end of the season they had fallen short of Mercedes in the WCC by three points.... the points they lost by having to stop for tyres they did not need cost them the 9 million dollars bonus that would have been theirs for coming 2nd in the WCC.

I remember also earlier in the year I think it was Ocon was going long on a set of hard tyres, hoping for a late Safety Car to bank a points position, but was forced to pit from ninth on the final lap purely to meet the requirement of making a pitstop.and using two compounds.

As he peeled into the pits, the entry was blocked by photographers, marshals and other officials, getting set up for the podium ceremony, causing him to take action to avoid hitting anyone. He had to take avoiding action. No one was injured but they could have been and certainly gave him and those he nearly hit a WTF moment.

Its just a nonsense rule. They are big boys, just let them decide what tyres they need / want out of their allocated selection, not the way the rule is.

I know this tyre rule isnt even applicable to the Sprint races where tyre choice is free and stops are not obligatory but we started talking of the tyre rule and I had to get my gripe off my chest. ( **feel better now**)