I like to see motorsport categories vary their format, to give fans something different to watch – and it’s certainly a good way of potentially attracting new followers. But the trouble is that if you mess with the structure of the pinnacle of the sport, it risks becoming a gimmick or cheapening the brand. And, so far, F1 appears to have risked more than the value it has received from its sprint races. We’re getting six of them next year, so a standalone event works for me – with the Sunday Grand Prix grid set by Friday’s qualifying – so that aspect goes ‘untouched’. But I would genuinely like to see an entire reversed-grid sprint race given a trial, with points on offer for cars overtaken, just to see what would transpire… By: Charles Bradley, Global Editor in Chief Motorsport.com |