Azerbaijan has shown what Formula 1 can do when everything is decided on one lap. The great winner of this improvised sprint race was Fernando Alonso , who passed four cars to finish in sixth position. The Asturian thus achieved the best result of Alpine this season. So everything indicates that good times are coming for the two-time world champion.
“We have to think about having a lot of two-lap races…! I think it was a lot of fun, people were very aggressive in those two laps knowing that it was not necessary to take care of the tires or anything, ” Fernando Alonso pointed out after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
For his part, Formula 1 CEO Ross Brawn wrote in his opinion column: “I was encouraged to hear various commentators say that we needed another 10 laps of the action we saw in the last two of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, because it is a good prequel to the qualifying sprint race ”. “Sprint qualifying will be a bit longer, 17-20 laps, but it could well present the same kind of exciting battles as drivers won’t have to worry about saving tires,” he added.
Silverstone, the first sprint race
The first sprint race of the three they will have this season will be next Saturday, July 17, in Great Britain . This race, limited to 100 kilometers, will determine the starting order of the drivers at Silverstone. In addition to pole , 3, 2 and 1 point will be at stake, so sprint races could be decisive in such a tight championship.
“We will try to find something that gives us a qualifying on Friday and a sprint race on Saturday that will determine the starting order for Sunday’s race,” commented Stefano Domenicali. “ Our goal is to try to offer the people who come to the event, the people who are watching television, the people who are really fans of Formula 1, something exciting . That will give us the excitement of a great weekend that will be beneficial for all parties involved, “added the CEO of F1.
After what happened at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix , Stefano Domenicali insisted on his idea: “We remain convinced that we must shake up the format and bring something new. The idea is to attract the youngest as well as our most loyal fans . We want to do the right thing in 2021 and we are open to all kinds of ideas, including suggestions from fans. We seek the best for everyone ”.
It will therefore be necessary to see how the sprint race that will take place at Silverstone unfolds and the acceptance that it has. If it is good, spectators will have to wait until Saturday, September 11, to experience the second sprint race of the season. It will take place at the Italian Grand Prix to be held in Monza .
The last sprint race, in Interlagos
Even more emotion could have the last of the season. On Saturday 6 November , with four Grands Prix to go before the end of the World Cup, a sprint race will be held in Brazil . The points earned by the top three at Interlagos could be decisive when deciding the championship.
The acceptance of these three sprint races will determine whether they continue to be held next season. Before racing in Azerbaijan, Fernando Alonso was already in favor of this format: “ We like the start, so we are going to have this twice , one start on Saturday and action in the first corner and another on Sunday, so what? why not? No one can say right now if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but we all agree that it’s okay to try. “
“It’s a new idea to liven things up a bit so why not? We should at least try. This is the season to try it because in 2022 there is hope for a new Formula 1, but things can be done in 2021 in the meantime ”, reiterated the champion.
Whether Fernando Alonso can shine again in another sprint race will depend on the car and luck. And it is that, according to declared the Oviedo after racing in Baku: “The car turned out very well. The team has done a very good job with the starts and it has been noticed in the last three or four Grands Prix. It went well, but it could have gone wrong. We have had that bit of luck . In the race until then we were a bit slow ”.
