Groups and F1 bosses have begun discussions about potential changes to sprints for 2024 within the wake of issues that the present set-up shouldn’t be delivering sufficient for followers.
A range of options are on the table, together with the potential for reverse grids, a whole standalone dash championship, money prizes and an overhaul of the weekend timetable to shuffle periods round.
There have even been strategies that F1 ought to do extra to make sure there’s higher strategic variance by way of tyre selections – with that having been a key think about making this yr’s Qatar Saturday race so thrilling.
However Pirelli thinks that it isn’t vital to begin enjoying round with the dash race itself – as a result of it is going to all the time be troublesome to attempt to engineer circumstances that open the door for diverse tyre calls.
As a substitute, Pirelli’s chief engineer Simone Berra thinks that the easiest way to make sure good dash leisure is to verify the occasions happen on tracks that present overtaking alternatives.
“I do not assume we must always change something by way of distance for the dash,” he defined.
“It ought to be higher to resolve correctly the place the format of the circuit may also help rather a lot as a result of we will make choices to assist the dash be much more spectacular.”
Photograph by: Purple Bull Content material Pool
Max Verstappen, Purple Bull Racing leads at the beginning
Berra believed that the explanation for Qatar proving to be so good, as smooth tyre runners surged to the entrance originally earlier than falling again later within the race, was that neither tyre proved good for the circumstances.
“We have now had good dash races,” he mentioned. “However in Qatar, you had a excessive stage of degradation, and this affected the compound selection.
“We did not have actually a robust compound. We had the C2 and C3, however each suffered from graining.
“The format of the circuit is actually essential, to pick the correct circuits to have spectacle.”
Berra believed that it might be too arduous to engineer circumstances the place the tyre selection was marginal on a regular basis, as there’s all the time a advantageous line between delivering merchandise that permit drivers to push, whereas additionally permitting good racing.
“It isn’t a simple steadiness as a result of in case you have excessive degradation they [the drivers] need to handle, however in case you have low degradation they will push however you haven’t any distinction in tempo as a result of the degradation is low for everyone.
“So it is all the time a mix the place you choose the observe, you choose the compounds and a few groups are in a position to extract higher efficiency than others.
“For instance [in the Brazil sprint], Mercedes within the final laps, particularly [Lewis] Hamilton, they dropped rather a lot. Even [Oscar] Piastri on the finish of the race, so this was actually essential.
“So having to handle the tyres there, it meant there was some combating and another individuals from the again that have been gaining positions.”