– Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali has already announced that there will be more than six sprint races on the Formula 1 calendar in 2027. While the number of sprints is expected to rise to around ten, this step is still not far enough for Flavio Briatore from Alpine.
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“If it were my decision, I would do it at every race. Because we have to offer the spectators something special,” says the Italian to The Race and criticizes that there is nothing exciting for the fans to see on Friday.
Briatore explains that the two one-hour practice sessions on a normal Grand Prix Friday offer no added value for most spectators. They are only about setting up the car correctly. But the fans at the track are not interested in such technical details.
“With the sprint race, there are at least two races, two starts over the weekend, and the driver is racing for something. He is not just driving for the engineers,” explains Briatore, who cannot get much out of the classic format with three free practice sessions over the weekend.
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“For me, that means: 24 races, 24 sprint races,” says the 76-year-old, emphasizing: “Formula 1 is not just a race. It is a big event.” And in his opinion, this event would become even more attractive with an additional sprint over the weekend.
Sprint races were held in Formula 1 for the first time in the 2021 season. At that time, they were officially still called “Sprint Qualifying” and decided the starting grid for the Grand Prix on Sunday instead of the regular qualification.
Points were only awarded to the top 3 back then, and only three were held per year. Since 2022, the top 8 receive points. In 2023, the sprints were decoupled from the main race and the number was also increased from three to six per year.
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