The inaugural sprint event of the 2024 Formula 1 season will take place at the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend, accompanied by another change in format. However, the modifications made for 2024 indicate that critics of sprint races are correct.
Some people see the changes in the session sequence as an improvement – including our F1 team here at Moving. Moving the sprint qualifying to Friday allows for the return of traditional qualifying on Saturday for the grand prix, which will be well received by traditionalists. However, if the goal of sprint weekends is to provide more excitement on each day of a race weekend, this change contradicts that goal.
Last year, having the official qualifying session on Friday night meant there was a must-watch session on the first day of track action. Now, the main Friday session is a diluted battle to determine the sprint grid, which can easily be overlooked. F1 has failed to differentiate the sprint qualifying from the main qualifying session, which seems perplexing. If a separate qualifying session for the sprint is needed, it should be made more engaging to attract viewers.
Although many people did not like the concept of “Sprint Saturday”, where sprint qualifying and the race took place on the same day, Saturday morning proved to be a suitable time for sprint qualifying. If someone did not have time to watch all the sessions, they would likely prioritize the main qualifying on Friday night, the sprint race on Saturday afternoon, and the grand prix on Sunday. This format provided fans with engaging content every day and positioned the secondary qualifying session at a convenient time for both interested and non-interested viewers.
However, it is now easy to skip the sprint qualifying session, with nothing to attract viewers on Fridays other than the most dedicated fans. This change from F1 diverges from its goal of attracting more viewers throughout the weekend, in addition to the usual super fans who enjoy following the practice sessions.
Furthermore, F1 is inadvertently conveying that the sprint race is inconsequential. Placing it on Saturday morning diminishes its importance, as it becomes a mere warm-up before the main event of grand prix qualifying. This makes the sprint race disposable, with the focus shifting to qualifying. F1 will not have two captivating stories to promote on Saturday night, as attention will be solely on the pole position. This outcome is likely not what F1 intended for its sprint weekends.
In conclusion, if you were never a fan of sprint races, it seems that F1 shares your sentiment. Sprint sessions have been relegated to less significant parts of the weekend, making it easier for fans to ignore them. One could argue that this is a considerate gesture from F1, given the increasing demands of following the sport. However, it is doubtful that F1’s intention was to make sprint sessions easily dispensable. If that were the case, why include them in the first place? The recent changes implemented by F1 do not seem to be aligned with the goal of generating more interest in sprint races.
© 2024
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