Sprint weekends were introduced to F1 in 2021, but no race has taken place in a street circuit to date. That is scheduled to change in 2023, with Baku set to host the first sprint weekend of the year. The idea may have been appealing to the organizers and F1, but Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is livid about the venue choice.
Street circuits are known to provide fans with a viewing spectacle. However, it is also very dangerous and its narrow layout increases chances of big crashes. Sprint weekends, up until now, have drawn in mixed reviews from both fans and drivers.
Six venues for Sprint races in 2023. Baku, Austria, Spa, Qatar, Austin and Brazil. Nothing against the sprint format, I like it & can see the benefits. I would prefer to see it run as a separate World Championship in future seasons though. Just as T20 is separate to Test Cricket
— David Croft (@CroftyF1) December 7, 2022
While it does add an exciting element to a race weekend, teams have often lost out on grid positions for the main because of risks taken in the sprint races. Horner feels that having a sprint weekend in a street circuit is a very ‘ludicrous idea’. If there are crashes in the sprint in Baku, it would lead to additional costs for teams. This is a huge problem already, because of the existing budget cap.
“It’s absolutely ludicrous to be doing the first sprint race of the year in a street race like Azerbaijan,” said Horner as quoted by Autosport.
Christian Horner admits Azerbaijan GP will be a viewing spectacle
Even though Horner isn’t happy about the opening sprint race taking place in the streets of Baku, he does acknowledge the fact that it will be a viewing spectacle. From a fans point of view, the 49-year-old went as far as suggesting that it might turn out to be one of the most exciting races of the year.
LAP 47/51
Drama in Baku!!!
Verstappen crashes into the barriers on the main straight and is out of the race #AzerbaijanGP 🇦🇿 #F1 pic.twitter.com/cpiNig7eL8
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 6, 2021
Red Bull have a history of crashes in Baku, with the most recent one coming in 2021 when Max Verstappen suffered a tyre puncture. It led to a horrific crash, which Verstappen was lucky to walk away, unscathed from.
“So you know one race is enough in Baku,” he added. “The fact that we’ve got two, there could be, well, some action there.”
Aston Martin and McLaren join in on Horner’s concerns
Horner is not the only team boss who is worried about the Azerbaijan GP. Every single team has to keep the cost cap in mind while planning the season, and if they meet with a huge crash in Baku, there will be a big addition to their damage bill.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown says, “Anytime we go to a street circuit – Baku- creates pretty exciting races. Some pretty big crash damage bills. It’s the same for everyone and it is what it is. It’ll be very exciting for the for the fans, and hopefully, all the cars will come back the way they started.”
Aston Martin, who have made huge strides over the winter break and are one of the top teams with Fernando Alonso at the helm, also admit that they are nervous about the outing in Baku.
