F1 sprint format should be limited to avoid “too much randomness” - Wolff

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes Formula 1’s sprint qualifying should be restricted to no more than four events per year to prevent “too much randomness”.

Lewis Larkam

18 Jul 2021

F1 sprint format should be limited to avoid “too much randomness” - Wolff

F1’s experimental sprint weekend format debuted at the British Grand Prix, with qualifying moved to Friday and a 17-lap, flat-out sprint race on Saturday used to determine the grid for Sunday’s grand prix.

Wolff thought the format worked well and reckons it warrants a place on the calendar “in a limited form”, but used Sergio Perez as an example of how the “randomness” of the event can ruin weekends.

The Red Bull driver spun and eventually retired from sprint qualifying, meaning he will start at the very back of the grid for Sunday’s British GP.

“I think it's entertaining for the crowds on the track,” Wolff said.

“A start is always interesting and good content. And obviously Alonso was fun to watch. So I think overall, it is a good add-on.

“I don't [want to] see it at every race. I think there's too much randomness.

“If you see Checo spinning out and then retiring, last is not the place that Sergio Perez should be. It could really work against you if you're one of the front-runners. There's too much randomness.

“But I think if the next few ones go like this one, I think it has a place in the calendar in a limited form.”

Having been fastest in qualifying, Lewis Hamilton finished second ahead of Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas in the inaugural sprint event after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen bolted into the lead at the start.

Wolff added: “I'm not a fan of live experimenting. But this one is not hugely controversial. I am totally against reverse grids, it’s just fake.

"But here, everybody started from the right positions. I believe that qualifying was yesterday [Friday] and also qualifying should be called qualifying, and not the sprint race. But this is really a detail.

“I believe that it was a bit dull towards the end, but until then I would say it has merit.

“I think if it is a kind of ‘Grand Slam' for a couple or a few races, I think that is good, because you provide some real entertainment on the Saturday.

"We are prime time TV Friday night, we are primetime TV Saturday night, and obviously the grand prix.

“So I think we can tweak on the format a little bit. But fundamentally, I think if we do five races like this, I'm pro. Maybe four is the right amount, not five.”