Horner Calls For Improvement To Sprint Weekend Format After United States Grand Prix Sprint

Sunday, 22 October 2023 at 18:00

Red Bull Racing F1 team principal Christian Horner revealed his thoughts about the Sprint Weekends after the 2023 United States Grand Prix Sprint Race.

Sprint weekends were introduced into F1 to make the sport more enjoyable for the viewers. However, many drivers and fans are not happy with the current format.

The current format of the sprint weekend removes 2 Free Practice sessions, which are substituted by Qualifying for the Sprint and the Sprint Race, which is 1/3 of the length of a typical race.

The viewers get more racing, but the problem is there is nothing new. The Sprint Qualifying results are very similar to qualifying results, and the sprint race basically reflects what will happen on the first 1/3 of the race.

There have been numerous suggestions on how to "spice up" the sprint weekends throughout this year. Christian Horner agrees there needs to be some change.

"I still think there’s things that can be done to evolve the sprint race. I still think that there’s an element of tuning that needs to be done to the format."

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Drivers like Carlos Sainz suggested there should be a reversed grid for the sprint race. Horner seems to have a similar idea with the addition of more points.

"I think you’ve got to add a bit more jeopardy to it. Whether you reverse the top 10 or something – but then you’ve got to add enough points to it to make worth the drivers’ while to really go for it."

Win is a win, as they say, but drivers and their teams don't see a win in a sprint as comparable to winning a grand prix.

"It still doesn’t quite feel like, when you win a sprint race, it obviously doesn’t mean quite as much as a grand prix."

The team principal sees some positives and potential in the Sprint format. On the other hand, Horner calls for some changes to make it more exciting for drivers, teams, and fans.

"We’re in a process where we need to be open to change and evolution. I think that the concept is fine, but I think the execution, we can do a better job in making it more exciting for the viewer."