Should we be happy about the new points scale for sprint races in Formula 1?

Facts : Last winter, the Formula 1 decided to offer no longer three but eight points to the winners of the sprint races, awarding points to the first eight in decreasing order (from 8 to 1). Looking ahead to the first of three sprint races of the year (at Imola), should we be happy with the new points scale for sprint races in Formula 1? 

YES, by Gonzalo Forbes

I've never been a big fan of the idea of ​​Sprint Races. But even if it means doing them, you might as well do them well. The arrival of the new format in 2021 aimed to offer more spectacle to fans by adding a 100 kilometer race, or around twenty laps. At stake ? 3 points for the winner, 2 for 2nd^e and 1 for 3^e. A meager reward for taking a major risk since the rest of the weekend could easily be compromised, and a show that did not really live up to expectations.

The F1 governing bodies then decided to review their plans and thus implemented a new scale. With now 8 points for the winner, 7 for 2^e, 6 for 3^e and so on until the 8th, the situation is clearly different. This will indeed give greater importance to the Saturday Sprint. Often on the defensive, pilots are offered an opportunity to improve their balance sheet. Those in the middle of the pack will be able to attack more to collect more points, gain positions on the Sunday grid and thus end their race weekend with more points in their pocket.

After a first experiment in 2021, Liberty Media and Formula 1 have the opportunity to offer a second chance to a product which was not unanimously accepted within the paddock. The revised awards could offer F1 a new way to promote a bigger spectacle as it has sought to do for quite some time. However, be careful not to fall into the trap of excess so as not to upset the balance of a weekend where the Sunday Grand Prix must rightly remain the most important event. The Emilia-Romagna GP should give us a first element of answer. 

NO, by Jérémy Satis

Increasing the points scale from three points to eight for the winner of the sprint race is not without risk. Arithmetically, this will have the effect of further strengthening the accounting importance of the Saturday race. However, even if there will only be three of them this year again, with eight points at stake, what was only a qualifying race in 2021 is becoming an event in its own right. This is exactly what Liberty wants to do. Absolutely, why not... a sprint contest lasting less than an hour allows (TV) spectators to see the drivers attack each other relentlessly without them thinking too much about strategy...

Still, historically, Formula 1 is a discipline that takes place over two hours, with great importance given to strategy, pit stops and tire management. By ricochet effect, starizing the sprint race and increasing its importance – including on an accounting level – will inevitably derail the Grand Prix itself. Judge for yourself: eight points represent… sixth place in the Grand Prix on Sunday! Wouldn't that be a bit much for a race of less than an hour? So certainly, with three small units in play last year, the drivers had little reason to take all the risks on Saturday, but there was perhaps a happy medium to be found between three and eight...

As a reminder, F1 also made the decision to increase the points capital to respond to the teams' refusal to move to six sprint races, due to the desire of Liberty and the FIA ​​not to increase the cap budget accordingly. This increase to eight points was therefore also and above all a political decision, supposed to save the sprint races at a time when the teams were putting them in danger. But be careful all the same, this new situation should not distort the championship in one, two or three years, when their number will perhaps have doubled or even tripled!

ALSO READ > The FIA ​​clarifies the speed of the Safety Car in F1