"There is no good racing”: George Russell shares why he feels the F1 Sprint format is not good

George Russell has given his take on sprint races and how they can be improved in the future. Sprint races are here to stay in Formula 1, as the sport recently released which venues will host the format in 2024. However, the Mercedes driver feels that a lot can be done to make the new format work.

Russell stated that tire degradation is the key to a great sprint race. The Brit gave examples of Qatar and Brazil's GPs, where different strategies and high degradation made the short race even more thrilling.

Russell further lamented how, in usual sprint races, drivers can simply put on a medium compound tire and race till the end.

"The best Sprint races have been when there is tyres degradation, like we saw in Qatar and people on different strategies, and equally in Brazil, the tyrs could only just make it 25 laps, and it was a good race. But most of the time, in the Sprint races, you put the Medium tyre, and you're just flat out to the end and there is no good racing," Russell told the media (via RacingNews365).

The FIA is constantly changing the sprint race format and details to fit inside the F1 calendar. There are talks amongst the seniors of the sport about creating a gap between sprint races and the main Grand Prix.

---

George Russell spoke up for exhausted team members due to a 22-race-long season

George Russell recently lamented how beat up his mechanics and engineers are after a long 22-race calendar in the 2023 F1 season. Speaking to the media, Russell explained how drivers are fortunate to get help from everyone while traveling.

However, the Mercedes driver was quick to point out that other team members, like mechanics and engineering office workers, had a difficult time adjusting to new time zones, accommodations, and temperatures.

“I think the drivers, we have it best from every single person in this paddock, the way we travel. We’re in a very fortunate position. But everybody up and down the paddock – I’ve got so many mechanics who are ill, people in the engineers’ office, just really struggling with the constant time zone shifts, the body not knowing where you are, eating at different times, staying in different hotels, different environments, different climates,” Russell said.

The next year will be even more demanding for teams as F1 will host a whopping 24 races throughout the season. This will be the longest season in the history of the sport.