© Getty ImagesBulls’ Guide To: (New) Sprint Weekends 🔄Sprints are changing! Here’s everything you need to know about the format.
Overthelasttwoyears,F1hasfeaturedsixsprintevents.Thisyearwe’redoublingdownwithsixmore,duetotakeplaceinAustria,Belgium,Qatar,Austin,Brazil,withthefirsttakingplacethisweekendinAzerbaijan.There’sanewformathereandthenewSprintisdefinitelynotthesameastheoldSprint…butfearnot,theBulls’Guideisheretohelpyouunderstandwhat’sgoingdowninBakuthisweekend.
Tricky Turns In The Streets© Getty Images
What’shappening?Whythechange?
One common thread in previous Sprints was a desire to play it safe. There was relatively little action, most drivers taking a conservative approach, with the gain of a point and a place not being deemed worth the risk of an accident and starting the grand prix from the back of the grid. Standalone Sprints will encourage drivers to push harder.
A grand prix weekend sees the cars take part in five sessions. In the traditional format, three were practice and two (Quali and the Race) were competitive. The original Sprint format changed that distribution to two practice and three (Quali, Sprint, Race) competitive. The new Sprint format tilts it further to one practice and four (Quali, Shootout, Sprint, Race) competitive. It’s considered to offer more bang for the fans’ buck.
The Long Straight At The Caspian Sea© Getty Images
WhenarethesessionsinBaku?
Friday
- Free Practice session
- Qualifying (this will set the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix)
Saturday
- Sprint Shootout (this will set the grid for the Sprint)
- Sprint
Sunday
Keeping An Eye On Checo© Getty Images
The most interesting thing with the Sprint weekend format has always been the reduced amount of practice. Having just one hour to experiment before finalising set-up choices really changes a team’s equilibrium, because as soon as they leave the garage for Qualifying, that’s it, no tweaks to bodywork or suspension allowed beyond this point – unless a team wants to bite the bullet and start from the pit-lane. Losing FP2 and FP3 is difficult – but perhaps more difficult is losing the 27 hours of analysis and simulation between the end of FP1 and the start of Qualifying. There’s also a huge reduction in data from FP1. There isn’t time between practice and qualifying to strip out the usual Friday sensor packages and bring the car down to its racing weight, so those won’t be fitted.
Everything has to be rather more pragmatic: the team needs to decide on a weekend set-up before the start of FP1, and use that session to make sure it works. With set-up changes to suspension or bodywork typically taking 15-20 minutes, each team may allow themselves one change – but the clear intention is to back yourself and stick to your guns. In short: less time to practice, and less information from the practice you do have. Plenty of opportunity for things to go wrong – which is exciting.
Dig Deep In The Apex© Getty Images
In the new format, the Qualifying session on a Friday will run to the same rules as those used during a normal Saturday Quali. This session will set the grid for Sunday’s grand prix. It has no bearing on Saturday. Tyre allocation for a Sprint weekend is slightly different to a race with two sets of Hard tyres, four sets of Medium and six of Soft. Whether or not teams experiment with a set of Soft tyres in FP1 or go into Quali with all of their new sets intact is an interesting question for the strategists to ponder.
Having done Qualifying on Friday, we now get to do it all over again on Saturday. The Shootout retains the three mini-sessions of a standard Quali, but with shorter session times of 12 (SQ1), 10 (SQ2) and 8 (SQ3) minutes each. Having shorter sessions is intended to restrict cars to one run in each session… but the potential still exists to do two runs in SQ1 and possibly SQ2… though the timings would be very tight and dependent on the circuit. On some tracks, that will be a moot point because cars are only allowed to use one set of tyres in each Shootout session. Medium compound in SQ1 and SQ2, Soft compound in SQ3.
The Only Way Is Up© Getty Images
Other than not being used for grid position in Sunday’s Grand Prix, the Sprint follows the same format as it has in previous years. It’s a 100km/30minute race ¬– which translates into 17 laps of the Baku City Circuit. Everyone has a free choice of starting tyre. Points will be scored by the top eight: eight points for first place, down to one point for eighth.
Given the length of the sprint, pit-stops are not expected, (though there’s nothing in the rules to preclude them) so the primary strategic decision is the choice of starting tyre. Historically, this has been a choice of Medium or Soft. The Soft provides better grip off the line; the Medium greater longevity and thus better pace across the stint – basically, do you want a good tyre at the start of the Sprint or a good tyre at the end?
Sunday’s Grand Prix will run to its usual rules, albeit with the grid set on Friday. The minor wrinkle is that teams will have better information on long run pace, having already done a representative stint in the Sprint. The other link between Saturday’s running and Sunday’s is the provision of grid penalties. Power unit grid penalties will continue to be served on Sunday, and any other penalties accrued on Friday – for unsafe driving etc., – will also be served on Sunday. While any penalties awarded in the Shootout will be served in the Sprint, any accrued in the Sprint itself will be served in the Grand Prix. This could be significant: with only 17 laps to run, the Baku Sprint has potential to be a wild ride.
Sprint Strategy Revised© Getty Images
