The sprint weekend format has divided the fanbase ever since its introduction, with the majority of the paddock being critical of the new format. Despite Verstappen winning the sprint last week at Mexico, as per a report by GP Blog, Christian Horner has spoken out against the format for a particular reason that affected Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in the USGP.
The current sprint format that F1 has been using since the start of the 2023 season consists of a race as well as a qualifying session, different from the Grand Prix. This means that the main qualifying session for the race is held on Friday along with only one free practice session for the whole weekend.
Christian Horner? Not such a fan of parc ferme conditions after FP1 on a sprint race weekend: pic.twitter.com/B2rHMbabEJ
— The Race (@wearetherace) October 27, 2023
This is where the main criticism comes in because teams and engineers aren’t able to get much time to set up their cars. This is what affected both Leclerc and Hamilton.
Even though Verstappen managed to win the Sprint in Austin, Horner called out the format. He said, “I think the Parc Fermé rules are a bit of a mockery. You get one session to set up your car. And then the engineers might as well go home. So that needs to be looked at.”
Christian Horner explains why Hamilton and Leclerc suffered during the USGP
The Parc Ferme rules ensure that engineers don’t make changes to the car’s set up following the free practice sessions. For the sprint race weekends the Parc Ferme comes into place right after the first session.
This means that the car must run the same setup for both the sprint as well as the main race. This is what affected both Mercedes and Ferrari as their engineers were unable to optimize the setup of the car for Sunday’s race.
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has called for further changes to be made to the Sprint format after a lacklustre display at the United States Grand Prix.
Following the uneventful session, Horner told media: “I think what [the sprint race] does, it gives you a very good… pic.twitter.com/87rxsHYTE1
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) October 22, 2023
As a result, both Hamilton and Leclerc saw their skid planks get eroded away much more than the allowed limit at the end of the race. This resulted in their disqualification. Horner spoke about the issue and said, “I am sure that this (barely any preparation time) contributed to the ride height problems for the teams that did not comply with the rules.”
Horner then explained that F1 should look at the sprint as nothing but long runs similar to what teams do during practice. Therefore allowing teams to adjust their setups accordingly feels like the practical thing to do. Overall, there are various changes to be made before the Sprint becomes a flawless format.
