Hot Lap: What should we do about sprints?

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The sprint format isn't working. That's been made pretty clear this season, especially with the lazy revamp they like to call the 'Sprint Shootout.'

Sprint races began in 2021 with the events taking place at Silverstone, Monza & Interlagos. The concept was immediately met with mixed opinions and criticism, but that goes without saying considering how F1 fans react to any sort of change.

However, don't get the wrong impressions. Sprint races are STUPID. Throughout 2021 and 2022, the sprint was stuck between qualifying and the feature race to shuffle up the grid once more. But in this current season it has been turned upside down and morphed into its own entire event. The sprint race now has its own qualifying session, the 'Sprint Shootout,' where in each session the teams are required to use a specific tyre compound. (SQ1 -- Hard, SQ2 -- Medium, SQ3 -- Soft)

But why is this so bad, one might ask? The little money-hungry goblins that make decisions for the sport saw no problem with it; it's more racing! What could possibly be bad about that? The problem is simple: Nobody cares. The drivers, the fans, hell, even the commentators. As mentioned in the most recent In Lap, many think it spoils the race pace of the cars, and it's usually pretty true. Max Verstappen also agreed with this take, explaining how it takes away the excitement of watching on a Sunday morning not knowing who will be the quickest. A bit ironic coming from the most dominant champion in F1 history, but the point is still there.

So, what is F1 going to do? Rumors have been circulating that they are "not opposed to a complete revamp" of the entire concept, tossing around ideas like:

- Million dollar cash prize for winners instead of championship points.

- A standalone 'Sprint Championship' points system.

- A reversed grid order from the Sunday race qualifying.

- Increased point shares to make drivers fight harder.

According to Motorsport.com, Red Bull's Christian Horner is all for the rule changes, while Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff was quoted as saying that he is "conservative when it comes to racing." He goes on to explain that sport should not follow entertainment, but instead entertainment should follow sport. 

Both sides have their points, but I personally agree with Toto on this one. We don't need a big circus of events every weekend, as I think it's just flat-out embarrassing. Formula 1 race weekends have been the same for decades, and while tweaks are always welcome, I think it's best to put the idea of the Sprint Race format to rest.

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What do you think? Are sprints needed in F1? If so, how would you approach fixing the current issues?


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