Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner has slammed Formula 1’s decision to host the first sprint of the season at a street track with a reputation for big damage.
This weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix on the streets of Baku will host the first sprint since last season’s Brazilian Grand Prix, and will feature a new revised format.
But Horner said the F1’s decision to host the first sprint at Baku was “absolutely ludicrous”.
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“From a cost cap perspective, all you can do is trash your car, and it costs a lot of money around there,” Horner said.
“One race is enough in Baku … a sprint race in Azerbaijan is something to be certainly wary of.”
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack said the tight turnaround between the sprint and the grand prix would mean a crash could be catastrophic.
“I’m nervous about a sprint in Baku because you just don’t have enough time to repair if you have major damage,” he said.
“Straight after the sprint, you have to put the covers on, and then in the morning, you have only three or four hours to repair your car if it’s heavily damaged, so there is a high risk with that exercise.
“But again, it’s the same for everybody, and it is not so difficult to overtake at Baku. If you take risks in the more cornering parts, then there is a higher risk [of a crash].”
The sport only gave confirmation of the changes to the sprint format late Tuesday AEST – barely three days before track activity begins.
Just days before the first sprint race weekend of the season, Formula 1 has finally confirmed changes intended to spice up the racing on the short Saturday afternoon races.
Since the sprint was first introduced in 2021, the grid had been set by a Friday afternoon qualifying session that replaced the second free practice.
The finishing order from the sprint race then set the grid for the grand prix on Sunday afternoon, leading drivers to face accusations they had not driven as hard in the sprint as they might otherwise in order to protect their Sunday starting position.
But the new format will see Saturday’s track activity run exclusively for the sprint.
Friday morning will see the traditional practice session take place, before grand prix qualifying in the afternoon.
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On Saturday morning, the third free practice session has been replaced with a short, half-hour qualifying session that sets the grid for the sprint, before the sprint itself on Saturday evening.
Sunday afternoon’s grand prix remains unchanged, with grid positions taken from Friday qualifying.
Given the sprint no longer has any bearing on the grand prix, aside from potential grid penalties for driving infringements, the sport hopes the changes encourage the teams and drivers to push harder.
Due to the fact the sprint is only a third of the distance of the grand prix, world championship points will be awarded 8-1 in that finishing order.
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