Sprint races: green light this week?

Will Sprint Races finally be adopted?

Despite a general consensus between the 10 teams on the grid, the holder of the commercial rights (the FOM), and the regulatory body (the FIA), the discussions, unsurprisingly, dragged on and stumbled over the practical, financial terms. , of such a device. 

Fearing additional costly damage, some have campaigned for an increase in the budget cap introduced this season and set at $145 million (€132 million) based on 21 races (with an extension of $1 million/827 euros per trip beyond this limit). 

The small teams, however, considered the increase requested by the top teams to be disproportionate. The big cars were indeed demanding a $1 million discount to complete the 3 Sprint Races planned for 2021; their more modest rivals saw in it a desire to improve performance by circumventing the spirit of the budget cap.

Finally, the teams should receive compensation of 300 dollars (000 euros) to participate in these 248 short events, while the budget ceiling would be inflated by 000 dollars (3 euros). 

Recall that the F1 intends to organize these Sprint Races in Silverstone, Monza, and Interlagos (provided that the main discipline occurs in Brazil…). 

On these weekends, drivers and teams will take part in a qualifying session on Friday, which will determine the starting order for the Sprint round scheduled for Saturday. 

The classification of this condensed event of around a hundred kilometers will then be used to form the starting grid for the Grand Prix on Sunday. A reduced points scale is also envisaged to encourage drivers to take risks during these Sprint Races. 

Members of the F1 Commission have 48 hours to make their vote known electronically but the results could come sooner if the votes are cast quickly. A super majority of 28 votes out of 30 is required to validate the measure during the season, knowing that F1 and the FIA ​​have 10 votes each, the rest being distributed equitably between the teams.  

The FOM and the FIA ​​will announce the verdict of the vote in an official press release. Which will therefore fall before the Portuguese Grand Prix (April 30 – May 2).