Formula One will have its first sprint race weekend of the 2023 season at Baku’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend, albeit with a tweaked format to how it ran in 2021 and 2022.
The sprint race was introduced to spice up certain races, offering venues the chance to effectively have three days of competitive running (Qualifying on Friday, a sprint race on Saturday, race on Sunday) rather than an entire Friday dedicated to practice sessions. That format has been polished up for the six events which will run under a sprint schedule in 2023.
The sprint is a shortened version of the grand prix, 100km of the circuit — in Baku that will equate to 17 laps.
The format has been met with a mixed reception and remains controversial, with reigning world champion Max Verstappen one of its biggest critics. The Dutchman has gone so far as to suggest F1’s constant tweaking and expanding of the sprint format will eventually lead to him quitting the sport.
So what’s changed? Why? And will it make a big difference?
The old format
Previously, F1’s main qualifying event on Friday, which is run in segments called Q1, Q2 and Q3, would set the grid for the sprint race.
The result of that shortened race would then set the grid for Sunday’s showpiece event.
Friday Practice One, Qualifying
Saturday: Practice Two, Sprint Race
Sunday: Grand Prix
This schedule was unpopular with teams, who said the Saturday practice session was effectively irrelevant.
The new format
Not only is that practice session now gone, but it has made way for a shorter, standalone qualifying session on Saturday — dubbed Sprint Shootout — which will set the grid for the sprint race itself.
Friday: Practice, Qualifying
Saturday: Sprint Shootout, Sprint Race
Sunday: Grand Prix
The key difference between Friday qualifying and the Saturday Shootout will be timings.
Q1
Friday Qualifying: 18 minutes
Saturday Shootout: 12 minutes
Q2
Friday Qualifying: 15 minutes
Saturday Shootout: 10 minutes
Q3
Friday Qualifying: 12 minutes
Saturday Shootout: 8 minutes
It is hoped that the shorter times will create more jeopardy, especially in Q3, where traffic or incidents on track could limit drivers to just a single timed attempt. It also means drivers setting a time late in the session are more at risk of a red flag leaving them with no qualifying time at all, potentially creating a mixed up grid order for the…
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