Formula 1’s divisive sprint race format returns for the fourth year this weekend with yet another tweak to its format.
While Formula One Management is always eager to hype up the format, its true popularity remains a matter of debate. RaceFans’ Rate the Race data shows sprint races have consistently failed to deliver the kind of excitement FOM insists they are designed for.
The 12 sprint races held so far received an average rating of 5.1 out of 10 from our readers. That compares to an average score for 316 grand prix held from 2008 to 2023 of 6.7 out of 10.
The figures are much the same when sprint races and grands prix are compared like-for-like. Over the 12 sprint race weekends held so far, grands prix received higher scores 10 times, with an average score one-and-a-half points higher. Here’s how you rated them all so far:
2021 British Grand Prix
Grand prix average rating: 6.3/10
Sprint race average rating: 4.9/10 (-1.4)
Formula 1’s first experience of sprint racing was a forgettable affair by any measure, but especially compared to the high drama of the grand prix the following day.
Max Verstappen nabbed the lead from pole-winner Lewis Hamilton at the start and the pair crossed the line pursued by Valtteri Bottas and Charles Leclerc at the end of lap one. They remained in that order until the chequered flag fell after 17 laps in 25 minutes of racing, Verstappen picking up three points for his victory.
The session also set the starting order for the grand prix. In the main event Hamilton and Verstappen resumed their scrap, which ended with the Red Bull in the Copse barrier halfway around the first lap. Hamilton recovered from a 10-second penalty to deny Charles Leclerc victory, to Red Bull’s utter fury.
2021 Italian Grand Prix
Grand prix average rating: 8.4/10
Sprint race average rating: 3.2/10 (-5.2)
Another ‘sprint qualifying’ weekend, another clash in the grand prix between Hamilton and Verstappen, the latter landing on top of his rival having fallen behind him due to a slow pit stop.
Hamilton had left himself with work to do having started the sprint race poorly, falling from second to fifth at the start. He made no progress from there as the top eight places remain unchanged from start to finish. Pierre Gasly’s first-lap crash was the only noteworthy moment in a race Valtteri Bottas won with ease.
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