We have known for a long time that F1 was not going to wait for the 3rd and final Sprint of the year to renew and strengthen the experience in 2022.

Since the 2nd full-size test in Monza, Italy in early September, Stefano Domenicali, CEO of the F1 Group, was confident that there will be between 7 and 8 Sprint heats next year, as the returns were unanimously positive, he said. the Italian. !

This figure was later revised downwards by its sports director Ross Brawn, who confirmed the realization of 6 short events in 2022.

If the São Paulo Sprint was really lively, it is due in large part to the lightning comeback of Lewis Hamilton, who had to start last after being disqualified for a DRS breach.

By signing 14 passes in 24 laps, the seven-time world champion allowed Brawn, his former Mercedes team manager, to say he had seen it. ” the best sprint so far with lots of action on the track ».

« The freedom of choice of tires at the start, a specific rule of the Sprint, played an important role.added the former Ferrari technical director. Using the Tender, (Valtteri) Bottas and (Charlie) Sainz got off to an excellent start and will start in the Top 3 on Sunday ».

The riders who opted for the red rubber were able to surprise their rivals on Mediums when the lights were out. This was also the case for Esteban Ocon at Alpine, tenth at the start and ninth at the end, on the heels of Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) who does not carry Sprint in his heart. In fact, the French occupied the fourth row of the grid before losing 3 places in the initial momentum.

But beyond the traditional permutations we see on any outing, were there really that many overtakings, not to mention the return of Hamilton, naturally?

Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc gave us a nice duel, the McLaren driver finally found the opening after a muscular pass and resistance to the limit from the Ferrari driver.

Otherwise, most of the cars finished where they ended the first lap, except for the place lost to Hamilton for the riders in question.

A trend that we had already noticed during the Silverstone and Monza Sprints. In other words, after the initial lottery, not much is happening, especially since tire strategies don’t have time to develop over such a short distance.

« I don’t find sprint races very fun Sergio Pérez grunted after 24 laps on the rear wing of Sainz’s Ferrari. The Mexican is one of the less crowded drivers of the concept. It must be said that he never smiled at her!

« It’s composed primarily for fans, so if they like it, all the better.added the Red Bull driver, who was notably rejected at the rear of the Silverstone (UK) grid due to a poorly negotiated Sprint.

But it’s not my cup of tea. I have the feeling that there is not much action, not much overtaking. Not much changes with the Grand Prix, which is still the main event. You can’t take a lot of risks because it’s not the real race. There is not much to gain and much to lose ».

Words that didn’t stop Brawn from providing after-sales service for your baby.

« Without the Sprint, Lewis would have started behind the grid on Sunday; instead, he has a real shot at starting in 10th place.commented the F1 sporting director.

We believe the foundations are very strong and we will present more details on the 6 rounds scheduled for 2022 during our discussions with the FIA ​​and the teams.

There are things to work on, but Brazil has proven that this is a great addition to the weekend program with highlights on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. “And above all increased income.

If Brawn has ruled out the possibility of introducing reverse grills into F1 in the near future, there is no doubt that his former driver’s good comeback will have yielded some (very bad) ideas in high places.

While waiting to cross this unacceptable rubicond to motorsport’s pinnacle DNA, the idea of ​​a world championship-independent Sprint qualification is slowly gaining ground.

The chance for F1 to award another unlikely trophy, sponsored by a generous partner and looking for visibility!