Sainz suggests change to sprint race format: 'Spoiler for the main race''

Carlos Sainz thinks he knows how to make sprint racing more interesting for fans. The Ferrari driver is a supporter of sprint races in Formula 1 and would like to see them retained in the future, but in the podcast P1 with Matt and Tommy, Sainz indicates that, in his view, a lot can be changed about the current set-up.

Formula 1 introduced the first sprint races in 2021, followed by tinkering with the format for the shorter Saturday races in subsequent years. In 2023, the season will feature six sprint races, with plenty of spectacle seen in Austria and Belgium. Carlos Sainz favours the sprint races, but he himself would choose a different format.

Sainz suggests new Formula 1 sprint format

The one-time race winner began: "I have an idea. I would still do the sprint weekends, [in] a reverse championship order grid. Just imagine. Let’s say Max starting last, the Ferraris starting P16 or 14th, 13th. The whole field would be closing on each other." Sainz likes this idea and thinks it will be "really good fun" for the drivers and fans. He also points out that a few drivers have already requested it from race control. In addition, he suggests awarding points to the top-ten, instead of the top-eight as is currently done.

The Ferrari driver thinks the resulting races will be fantastic and will not affect Sunday's races. Sainz thinks this is the case with the current set-up. "What I find sometimes with the sprint race, is that it’s the first third of the race. You’re getting what’s going to happen on Sunday. So it’s a spoiler of the of the main race because it’s exactly the stint length, and probably even the tyre that we’re going to start on Sunday," Sainz said.