Exploring the F1 format for this weekend’s 2023 Austrian F1 Grand Prix

This weekend F1 will host its second of six Sprint weekends at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria for the 2023 Austrian GP.

The Sprint format has been a mixed bag for drivers and fans alike thus far as some races have been really exciting such as last year in Sao Paulo whereas some have been duds such as the opening Sprint races in 2021.

To combat the criticism from the fans and F1 teams alike, the sport decided to change the format of the Sprint. Previously, the weekend consisted of two practice sessions, one each on Friday and Saturday, with the Sprint race setting up the grid for the main race.

However, the new format allows the Sprint to be a standalone event on Saturdays, which has a Sprint shootout in the morning and the race later in the afternoon. The main qualifying for the race is held on Friday evening after the sole practice session.

The Sprint shootout 1 has been shortened from 18 minutes to 12 minutes.

SQ2 has been shortened from 15 minutes to 10 minutes.

SQ3 has been shortened from 12 minutes to eight minutes.

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Red Bull F1 team boss reflects on the big achievement of the team

Red Bull F1 Team Principal Christian Horner stated that he still considers the Austrian team to be relatively new in the sport compared to legacy teams like Ferrari, Mercedes, and Renault.

As per Autosport, Horner spoke about Red Bull's 100-win landmark and said:

“I think when you’re in the moment it’s very difficult to say. It’s only when you stand back and look at what’s been achieved [things sink in]. So, at some point that will inevitably happen. We’re still relatively the new kids on the block. We’re still one of the newer teams in Formula 1, as it were."

Horner added:

“But you can see the following of the team growing and growing. And only history will dictate what we go on to ultimately achieve and do. We’ve got some exciting chapters coming up, as we become our own power unit manufacturer. There’s probably a lot of people that think we’re gonna fall on our face by picking that route. But, believe me, there’s determination within this group to make sure that it succeeds.”

It will be interesting to see how quickly the Austrian team will reach 200 F1 race wins given their current dominance in the sport.