01/11/2021
NEWS STORY
Laying out the plan for the Sprint moving forwards, Ross Brawn admits that along with more points the Sprint may actually be referred to as a race.
Ahead of the third trial of the Sprint, F1 managing director, Ross Brawn has given further insight into how it is expected the format will be adapted moving forward.
Whatever the pros and cons, clearly F1 is determined to continue with the concept, indeed, it would appear the plan is that the Sprint will have a greater bearing on the overall championship.
"We've in principle agreed with the teams that we will look towards six events for next year," said Brawn days ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix weekend.
"There is quite a lot to get sorted before then," he admitted, "and our view is that we should take some progressive steps for next year but not radical steps. That's partly because we have the new car coming along, and everyone needs to settle down with the new car coming.
"We need to see the impact of the car," he continued. "So we've been relatively conservative and evolutionary for 2022, but we're positive about the concept and very pleased that F1 has been brave enough to try an alternative concept at three races to see how it works.
"We're discussing with the teams how Saturday could be made a bit more challenging, a bit more engaging," he admitted.
"I'm very optimistic that the new cars will help, because of their ability to race each other," he insisted, Brawn, after all, being the chief architect of next year's major rules overhaul.
"What's in discussion is how can we make the rewards for a Saturday greater, so there's much more incentive to race on a Saturday in terms of points.
"I think probably reverse grids etc, I'd be quite excited by that I must say," he said of a proposal that has been dismissed by fans, drivers, team bosses almost everyone except Brawn himself. "But I think it would be perhaps a step too far. But there's a few things which are on the table for discussion.
"Pole position on a Friday has clearly not been popular, not having a pole position for Friday. So that's on the agenda. The naming of the event, as we all call it a race... if it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck... the naming of the event is something we want to tidy up. And then perhaps the points distribution for a Saturday could make it more challenging and inviting for drivers to race."
Last month, Toto Wolff suggested points should go back to tenth place, Brawn appears to agree.
"We proposed something around a third of the points that you get in a race for the sprint," Brawn revealed. "That was the initial proposal, which was not taken up because the feeling was that we need to see how the sprint functions first before we allocated the points. So we think that will be the starting point for the discussion.
"It's significant enough to be worth going for and it goes far enough down that people in lower positions still want to fight for it.
"It is not of a number that has over-influence on the championship," he insisted. "It will have an influence on the championship, it must have and that's what we want, but not an excessive amount."
When it was suggested that the Sprint (races) have not been particularly inspiring, far from it, Brawn replied: "Personally I think it is a price worth paying if Saturday is not a sort of crash and bang event.
"I'm not sure it's ever going to be," he added. "I think the overall weekend has improved so much that we would go with that."