Sprint races in danger for 2022
The 2022 F1 season will have 6 sprint race qualifying sessions, double the amount from last season. However, this change may not happen due to the interests of the teams.
The multiplication of sprint races for the 2022 season has been initiated thanks to a preliminary agreement between the teams. However, currently, 8 out of 10 teams need to agree on details regarding these races, particularly on financial aspects.
Indeed, a financial agreement had been reached to provide teams with a small payment to cover the potential damages that their cars may sustain during a sprint. However, despite this agreement, the big teams are attempting to raise the budget cap under the pretext that the sprint is expensive. This behavior is denounced by Zak Brown, the McLaren boss.
« Several teams, and one team in particular, wanted a $4 million increase in the budget cap, which was simply ridiculous. And there was no rational basis behind it. When you challenge them, they say “what if” and “could” and you have to anticipate. You sit there and think to yourself, “This is just nonsense,” explains Zak Brown.
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The budget ceiling being set at 123 million euros, some teams want to increase it by 4 million euros. But this situation raises doubt about the future of sprint races in F1: either the teams come to an agreement and the more demanding ones refuse or reduce their request to increase the budget ceiling, or the situation remains unresolved and sprint races disappear, at least for 2022.
(Zak Brown says) Perhaps there can be a compromise and we increase the budget cap a bit, and we start in 2022 or we skip 2022, and some of these teams should explain to the fans why there are no sprint races.
