Formula 1
Seidl: Sprint races best kept for specific Formula 1 tracks
McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl believes it is good to have trialled Formula 1’s new Saturday sprint race at Silverstone, but the format should be reserved for specific circuits.
Luke Smith Haydn Cobb
Edited: Jul 25, 2021, 12:09 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
F1 staged its inaugural 100km sprint race last Saturday at the British Grand Prix as part of a weekend format shake-up that will take place at two further events this year.
Fans at the track were given three days of competitive action as qualifying moved to Friday, with the sprint race then taking place on Saturday afternoon to set the grid for Sunday’s grand prix.
The response to the first sprint race was mixed, with the main highlight coming on the opening lap as Fernando Alonso made up five positions.
F1 has always made clear the sprint races in 2021 - planned for Monza and one other track - are a trial for the format that could be expanded for next year should they prove to be a hit.
F1 managing director of motorsports Ross Brawn said ahead of the sprint race debut that it could be used at as many as half a dozen races in the future.
McLaren F1 chief Seidl felt it was “too early to say” what the maximum number of sprint events would be in a season, but that it should only be used on certain tracks and cannot become a standard moving forward.
“It is good that we have these trials now this year for three weekends,” Seidl said. "I think it is good also to take our time together with the fans and our partners and all teams, with Formula 1, with the FIA, to analyse exactly how this weekend went and then make conclusions based on that.
“I think that is just an initial view, I think it is a good idea to only use it for specific event and tracks for a different format.
“I don’t see, for example, it being the standard for all weekends.”
Read Also:
- Mercedes had Verstappen all-clear before British GP celebrations
- Why F1's battle of the rear wings is becoming even more intricate
The revised format threw additional curveballs at teams as they had to lock in their set-ups under parc ferme conditions after just a single practice session on Friday morning before qualifying.
Teams also received a free choice of starting tyre for Sunday’s race - a rule that will apply to all races next year - resulting in all but on driver taking mediums for the first stint.
Seidl felt the first race sprint race weekend had played out as expected, and that the Saturday race gave some signs of what followed on Sunday for McLaren in its fight against Ferrari, led by Charles Leclerc.
“I would say the weekend played out in terms of strategy and tyres as we had anticipated,” Seidl said. “The sprint race in the end gave a good picture of where everyone has been in terms of race pace.
“It was obvious to see that Charles was already very strong and we couldn’t beat him [on Saturday] and the same happened again [on Sunday].
“I would say no big surprises and no big learnings from the sprint race that changed anything for the race today.”
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Why F1's battle of the rear wings is becoming even more intricate
Next article Bottas in Alfa Romeo F1 link for 2022 if Mercedes opts for Russell
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Luke Smith
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
Formula 1
Formula 1
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Formula 1
Formula 1
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Formula 1
Formula 1
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
More from
McLaren
McLaren to introduce 2027 F1 front wing at Brazil GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
2 h
McLaren to introduce 2027 F1 front wing at Brazil GP
Penalty drops Oscar Piastri out of F1 Mexico GP points
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
Penalty drops Oscar Piastri out of F1 Mexico GP points
Latest news
The 'difference' between Kimi Antonelli's F1 title and Lewis Hamilton's according to Toto Wolff
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
8 min
The 'difference' between Kimi Antonelli's F1 title and Lewis Hamilton's according to Toto Wolff
Lamborghini facing loss as Grasser Racing Team and star driver eye McLaren switch?
DTM
DTM DTM 36 min
Lamborghini facing loss as Grasser Racing Team and star driver eye McLaren switch?
Spire Motorsports suspends Carson Hocevar, parking him for NASCAR finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
41 min
Spire Motorsports suspends Carson Hocevar, parking him for NASCAR finale
Lin Hodenius, James Roe partner for Lone Star Racing’s full-time IMSA GTD campaign for 2027
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 1 h
Lin Hodenius, James Roe partner for Lone Star Racing’s full-time IMSA GTD campaign for 2027
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe