Introducing reverse grids to sprint races “won’t work” to improve racing within them, says Mercedes’ George Russell.
Formula 1 held six sprint events in 2023 – the most of any season since the format was introduced two years earlier.
The controversial format has been hailed by F1’s commercial rights holders, FOM, but fan reaction has been mixed. In a RaceFans poll earlier this year, an overwhelming majority of readers said they preferred a standard grand prix format to sprint race rounds.
Several team principals have said the latest iteration of the format needs further changes, including Red Bull’s Christian Horner.
“I think the concept is fine,” Horner said, “but I think the execution, we can do a better job in making it more exciting for the viewer.”
One proposal suggested by Horner and others involves reversing race grids for print grounds based on the results of grand prix qualifying sessions, with either the entire grid reversed or partially, like in Formula 2 or Formula 3. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has repeatedly pushed for this format.
However, Russell – who experienced reverse grids in both junior categories, disagrees that reversing grids for sprint races would create better racing.
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“I won’t talk on behalf of the drivers, but my own personal view is I don’t think reverse grid races will work,” he said in response to a question from RaceFans.
“Purely because I learned this when I raced in Formula 3 and Formula 2. If you’ve got the 10 fastest cars, the most challenging car to overtake is the one who you’re fighting with. If you reverse that grid, you’re going to have the quickest car in 10th trying to overtake the second-quickest car in ninth, which is trying to overtake the third-quickest car which is in eighth. So each car is actually trying to overtake their most direct competitor.”
With faster cars running behind slower ones, Russell says, sprint races could end up becoming more processional as a result.
“What you’ll probably actually find is it would just be a DRS train,” he explained. “Because you might have – you know – a Williams leading from a Haas, who can’t quite get past, who’s leading from an Alpine, who’s then leading from a McLaren or whoever. So I think the concept won’t work.”
Russell believes the best way of encouraging better racing in sprint races would be encourage an element of tyre strategy for each 100 kilometre…
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