Last season in Formula 1 we became acquainted with the phenomenon of ‘sprint races’, also known as ‘sprint qualifications’. There should be even more of them this year than last year, but according to McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown it is questionable whether they will return at all.
In 2021 Formula 1 experimented with sprint races. Qualifying takes place on Friday before this, followed by a short race on Saturday (around 100 km) that determines the starting grid for the Grand Prix on Sunday. The plan is to have six this year, twice as many as last year. According to McLaren’s Zak Brown, however, it is quite possible that it will not happen at all in 2022. He explains in conversation with the BBC that some teams attach requirements to it that will probably not be honored and then the sprint races will probably all be swept off the table.
Brown says several teams want the annual budget cap to be increased by up to £5 million (€6 million) when sprint races are held again. Last year a small financial compensation was made, because of course there is more chance of damage during a race weekend if a sprint race is also held. According to Brown, an increase in the budget cap by millions is completely disproportionate and meets resistance from teams that actually benefit from a sharp budget cap: “Maybe a compromise can be made, otherwise some of those teams just have to explain to the fans why are not sprint races.” Eight out of ten teams must agree to the conditions, otherwise the sprint races will not take place.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl