It’s final: the World Motor Sport Council has decided to increase the number of sprints! What does the F1 boss say and how will the teams react?

And it’s final! The World Motor Sport Council has decided to increase the number of sprints for the 2023 season. Until now, Formula 1 had three sprints scheduled for 2021 and 2022. However, the number will be increased to 6 and the question now is how drivers, teams, fans and indeed everyone involved with F1 will react.

The sprints first appeared in Formula 1 in 2020, as part of an experiment to see how these short races would catch on in the world of motorsport’s queen and how many fans the sprints would find their way to.

However, despite criticism from some fans, sprints have proven to be a successful model and addition to the classic race weekend format.

Qualifying is moved to Friday for the “sprint” weekend, with the 100km race on Saturday and the main race on Sunday. Before this season, however, the rules were changed.

Despite the original plan, there will be three weekends with a sprint race this year, which is the same number as last year. And what did the plan for the 2022 season initially look like?

Because Formula 1 was already supposed to run 6 sprints this year, but the teams didn’t reach an agreement with the FIA on the financial side, so we’re stuck with number 3 this year. Fans got to see the first sprint at Imola, the second at the Red Bull Ring in Austria and the third one at Interlagos in Brazil.

However, the number of such race weekends will change for next year. The World Motor Sport Council decided on Tuesday 27 September. Drivers and teams will now have to prepare for six sprints, but the FIA has not yet announced which Grand Prix will be affected.

Statement by the President of the FIA

“The confirmation that the FIA Formula One World Championship will feature six sprint race weekends from the 2023 season is another example of the continued growth and prosperity at the highest level of motorsport,” said Mohammed Ben Sulayem in an interview with F1.

“Sprints bring an exciting dynamic to the race weekend format and have proved popular over the past two seasons. I am confident that this positive trend will continue and I am delighted that the World Motor Sport Council has today approved their continuation,” continued the FIA President.

F1 chief Stefano Domenicali also had his say

“I am delighted to confirm that from 2023 onwards, six sprints will be part of the championship, building on the success of the new format first introduced in 2021,” the F1 boss said in the same interview.

“The Sprint offers action over three days, with all drivers fighting for something right from the start on Friday to the main race on Sunday, adding more drama and excitement to the weekend. The response from fans, teams, promoters and partners has been very positive and this format adds a new dimension to Formula 1 and we all want to ensure its success in the future,” concluded Domenicali.

Finally…

It should be noted, although many Formula 1 fans still couldn’t get enough of sprinting, the growth of this race weekend format seems unstoppable. Despite some teams’ concerns about what more sprints will do to their budgets, the FIA has simply got its way. Objectively, though, we have to add that it is the sprints that will bring more money to F1.

Needless to say, promoters and indeed everyone involved with the financial side of F1 will be happier too. So the question is whether there will actually be an increase in the budget caps, which Grands Prix the sprints will be involved in and last but not least – how this will affect the viewership of the whole sport.

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