Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has slated Formula 1’s decision to hold the first sprint race of the new season at the Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan.
Formula 1 introduced its sprint race format in 2021, holding its extra Saturday races at three rounds. That has expanded to six this year, beginning in Baku at the end of next month.
The sprint races have only previously taken place on road courses. Horner is unhappy with the choice of the high-speed Baku street circuit as a venue for sprint races due to the increased risk of incurring car damage.
“The reality is it’s absolutely ludicrous to be doing the first sprint race of the year in a street race like Azerbaijan,” said Horner in today’s FIA press conference.
“I think from a spectacle point of view, from a fan point of view, it’s probably going to be one of the most exciting sprint races of the year. From a cost cap perspective, all you can do is trash your car and it costs a lot of money around there.”
F1 confirmed the six venues which will hold this year’s sprint races in December. After Baku, sprint races will also take place at the Red Bull Ring, Spa, Losail, Circuit of the Americas and Interlagos.
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Red Bull scored a one-two in Baku last year and were on course to do the same in 2021 until Max Verstappen suffered a tyre failure at the fastest point on the circuit, pitching his car into a barrier.
While there are discussions around changing the race weekend format for the first sprint event of the season, Horner is more concerned by the risk of damaging his cars.
“One race is enough in Baku, the fact that we’ve got two, there could well be some action there. But that’s part of the challenge and part of the task that we’ve got.
“Hopefully we can tidy up the format for the sprint races coming up, that they are a bit more dynamic. I know that the sporting director has been working hard on that and hopefully we can get that finalised. [But] a sprint race in Azerbaijan is something to be certainly wary of.”
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown echoed Horner’s concerns about the potential for damaging cars in Baku. “Any time you go to a street circuit, Baku creates some pretty exciting races and some big crash damage bills, same for everyone,” he said. “It kind of is what it is.
“It’ll be very exciting for the fans and hopefully all the cars will come back the way they started.”
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