The second sprint race of the 2022 season was held during the Austrian weekend at the Red Bull Ring. However, the 24-lap sprint did not turn out to be exciting as the fans and F1 would have imagined. Max Verstappen took the pole position during qualifying and finished first during the Sprint race. Moreover, there was very little action between the top four as they finished exactly where they qualified. There was a small battle between Max and Charles Leclerc. However, the Monegasque found it hard to overtake the Dutchman in front of his fans. The Red Bull driver won the last sprint in Imola as well. He overtook Leclerc to get the maximum eight points. Thus, Ferrari and Red Bull have only been the two teams who have battled for a sprint win so far this season.
Recently, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff revealed the current performances of Formula 1 teams, specifically at the front, have resulted in the sprint races being less entertaining. Red Bull and Ferrari have been the frontrunners while Mercedes are the third fastest and still behind in the fight for a win. Thus, there is no real fight at the front to make the short-spree race more exciting for the fans. Moreover, F1 is planning to double the number of sprints to six next year. But keeping the current state of the sprints, Wolff has suggested a solution to make them more exciting by focusing on special venues.
Toto Wolff Suggests F1 Chief Needs To Select Sprint Venues
Wolff cleared that the performance gap between the teams is the reason why the sprint is less entertaining. The Mercedes team principal shared that Red Bull\’s Verstappen took a big lead in front while the two Ferraris of Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were the only entertainment in Austria.
Meanwhile, Mercedes was in the middle of nowhere in no man\’s land. He added that other teams are further behind, stuck in a DRS train, which could never make for a good sprint. However, Wolff pointed out that he trusted F1 chief Stefano Domenicali to choose the right venues for the sprint races. \”Stefanos will have seen in Austria and will take it into consideration,\” Toto concluded.
The final sprint of the season would be held in Sao Paulo, where Lewis Hamilton put up a breathtaking performance for Mercedes last year. The Briton finished fifth even though he started from the back of the grid in 24 laps. Elsewhere, Haas driver Kevin Magnussen has also called for some regulation changes during the sprint.
Kevin Magnussen Believes Current Sprint Format Favoring Cautious Driving
The Danish driver said that Imola was his first sprint. There, his team had a good weekend as they managed to score points during the sprint and the main race. Talking before the sprint in Austria, Magnussen shared that it was nice to have a good first sprint experience. The 29-year-old added, \”I watched them last year and the big question is whether or not you want to take a risk in the sprint.\”