Qualifying undermined by sprint race?
Discussion
Timing it so most of us with jobs were still working was probably also a less than smart idea.
I think the idea was to attract spectators on Fridays, otherwise if they are determined to have a sprint race it would seem more sensible to have qualifying in the morning and sprint in the afternoon. That would also sidestep the "FP2 but you're in parc ferme and on the race engine so why bother" issue.
I think the idea was to attract spectators on Fridays, otherwise if they are determined to have a sprint race it would seem more sensible to have qualifying in the morning and sprint in the afternoon. That would also sidestep the "FP2 but you're in parc ferme and on the race engine so why bother" issue.
More stuff going on for the fans is a good thing. F1 prices are certainly not bang for your buck when you compare it to other motor sport events.
For example WEC cost us £160 with camping and got Practice sessions, 1 day of quali and support racing, 1 day of WEC quali and 4 hours of Euro LMS and then the next day 6 hours of WEC.
Compared to the £600 odd we paid for the F1 a few years before I welcome more excitement and track time from the main event.
I did get annoyed that they kept saying "this qualifying isn't for pole" well it is....just not for the Grand Prix.
For example WEC cost us £160 with camping and got Practice sessions, 1 day of quali and support racing, 1 day of WEC quali and 4 hours of Euro LMS and then the next day 6 hours of WEC.
Compared to the £600 odd we paid for the F1 a few years before I welcome more excitement and track time from the main event.
I did get annoyed that they kept saying "this qualifying isn't for pole" well it is....just not for the Grand Prix.
Agreed that it feels like it's been undermined a bit, but I was still interested to watch it as it gave us a more genuine insight into the teams' relative pace on a Friday, which is earlier than we would normally find out.
It's sort of like a more genuine / exciting FP2.
FP2 in parc fermé in between the two sessions does feel clumsy.
The sprint race at least means we get another grid start and associated first lap action, as there's basically no strategy we could probably run it as a 5 lap sprint though to be honest, although maybe Monza will suit the format better.
Next years cars may also make the sprint race more interesting
It's sort of like a more genuine / exciting FP2.
FP2 in parc fermé in between the two sessions does feel clumsy.
The sprint race at least means we get another grid start and associated first lap action, as there's basically no strategy we could probably run it as a 5 lap sprint though to be honest, although maybe Monza will suit the format better.
Next years cars may also make the sprint race more interesting
I thought the sprint race itself was pretty good - there was action (in the midfield) all the way through. Having it long enough for soft tyres to go off makes for some interest - do you start on softs and have to defend at the end, or do you start on mediums and potentially lose places at the start that you then have to recover at the end when the soft-tyre runners start to struggle?
StevieBee said:
Need to see more to make a proper judgement but I don't mind the concept.
It provides more racing action and increases the propensity for a more mixed grid for the main race. We've still got normal qualifying - just an extra race which can't be a bad thing.
Agreed, it allows for competitive running on all three days, which is good news for the live crowd and TV audiences. It provides more racing action and increases the propensity for a more mixed grid for the main race. We've still got normal qualifying - just an extra race which can't be a bad thing.
The Sprint format has more jeopardy than the traditional qualifying format, so we might see someone crash out today and go right to the back tomorrow, which doesn’t happen in Q3.
Max might hestiate when challenging Bottas today, knowing that if it goes wrong he starts at the back tomorrow - but then again, he’s Max so might not, we’ll find out later!
The practice session this morning still in Park Fermé is the one wierd thing they need to look at. Personally I’d scrap the PF rules for the Sprint event and let them use different setups for the 100km and 300km races.
If there was ever a case for single-car runs in qualifying (in reverse Championship order), then this weekend proves it.
The sprint "race" achieved nothing, and the preceding qualifying session was an opportunity for another crash like the one which claimed the life of Gilles Villeneuve.
The FIA have some thinking to do.
The sprint "race" achieved nothing, and the preceding qualifying session was an opportunity for another crash like the one which claimed the life of Gilles Villeneuve.
The FIA have some thinking to do.
Dermot O'Logical said:
The sprint "race" achieved nothing
It put Gasly at the back and Hamilton on the second row. Given the Mercedes is regarded as the fastest car at Imola - but the Red Bull and McLarens are also fast - that should make it more interesting at the front and Gasly (with Bottas at the back too) should make for some interesting stuff further down. It's entirely possible that the Sprint Race creates a much more entertaining race than would have been the case had they just stuck to qualifying.
Gassing Station | Formula 1 | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff