As Daniel Ricciardo Urges F1 to Avoid “MotoGP Route”, Carlos Sainz’s Idea Promises Radical Change

With time, almost every sport has taken the initiative in some form to evolve. F1 also has followed this bandwagon with the recent big change being the inclusion of the sprint format into the season. But despite being a change to make the sport more entertaining for younger audiences, the format’s introduction remains a debatable topic. In the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix presser, Daniel Ricciardo urged F1 to avoid the route taken by other series such as the MotoGP with the sprint. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz also gave his take on how F1 can balance their goal of a show and F1’s sporting DNA.

F1 drivers themselves have not shied away from openly expressing their thoughts on the sprint format. For instance, Max Verstappen has openly carried a negative campaign against it, despite being quite successful in it. This is why the statements by Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz at the Brazilian GP press conference offer an intriguing solution.

Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz share their thoughts on the sprint format

During the press conference, the drivers were asked about their reflections on the sprint races in the 2023 season. If you didn’t know, the Brazilian Grand Prix is the last sprint weekend of the current season, as the Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix follow the traditional race weekend format.

An ever so charismatic and outspoken Daniel Ricciardo didn’t shy away from sharing his thoughts, as he stated as per FIA’s official press release, “I liked some of them. I think there’s room for a few of them across the calendar. It does change it up a little bit. I still, like, prefer a conventional weekend. You know, if it’s one or the other I’d take the conventional. But, look, if we have obviously in a season of 23-24 races, if half a dozen of them are Sprint, I think yeah, it adds a little bit of spice. But I wouldn’t want to go down, say, the MotoGP route and have it every weekend.”

For those who don’t know, the 2023 MotoGP season saw a new set of rules introduced, with the highlight being that sprint races would be held every weekend. Ricciardo plays the perfect devil’s advocate as highlights the pros and cons of the format, with his natural perspective. However, following this, Carlos Sainz was asked whether he would fancy reverse grids in F1, and his answer promises quite a few radical changes.

The Ferrari driver responded, “Yeah I wouldn’t mind. I think right now, I agree that six is enough. I agree that Saturday’s too revealing of what’s going to happen on Sunday. It is basically the first stint of the race of Sunday, what you’re watching on TV, and this doesn’t help, I think, the show for the main race that is the Grand Prix”

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Sainz’s statement somewhat doubles down on what Max Verstappen has been vocally talking about. Regardless of the entertainment, the main event of any Grand Prix is, should, and always be the main race. That’s the reason a viewer primarily tunes in to the race. Moreover, the idea of a reverse grid, while exciting, does have flaws. Further indicating that major changes are required.

Sprint weekend is flawed, but not beyond salvation

Sprint weekends will remain a hotly debatable topic amongst the F1 for at least quite some time, that’s for certain. But don’t let that influence you into thinking that sprint weekends are entirely flawed. Yes, it has flaws, as stated by Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz in their aforementioned statements, but that doesn’t mean there’s any potential for improvement.

Christian Horner‘s statements perfectly highlight why. After the United States Grand Prix, he stated, “There’s an element of tuning that needs to be done to the format but I think certainly we’ve learned a lot from the Sprint that will apply to the race. The concept is fine, but the execution, we can do a better job in making it more exciting for the viewer.”

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While there still hasn’t been a definitive solution for the problems with the sprint weekends. Let’s hope that the F1 and FIA can work in harmony and sidetrack their focus from attracting US audiences into actually fixing the sport!