McLaren's Lando Norris has launched a blistering critique of Formula 1's revised Sprint weekend format, branding it a failure after a frustrating Saturday at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The British driver's blunt assessment came after he failed to make a significant impact during the Sprint Shootout on the challenging Baku street circuit.
Under the new format, a standalone qualifying session—dubbed the 'Sprint Shootout'—sets the grid for Saturday's Sprint race. Norris could only manage a disappointing tenth place, leaving him deeply unimpressed with the entire experiment. 'It's terrible. We weren't even close,' he stated unequivocally to Sky Sports F1.
Leclerc Shines for Ferrari While McLaren Struggle
While Norris struggled, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc showcased his mastery of the Baku City Circuit, securing pole position for the main Grand Prix in a dramatic qualifying session later on Friday. The Monegasque driver pipped Red Bull's reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, to the top spot, with the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz qualifying in fifth.
Norris's woes were compounded by his teammate Oscar Piastri's elimination in Q1, marking a Saturday to forget for the McLaren team. The contrast between the top teams' performance and McLaren's struggle highlighted the competitive disparities the new format can expose in a single day.
A Call for Change: Norris Joins Growing Criticism
Norris's comments add his voice to a chorus of drivers, including seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who have expressed dissatisfaction with the new Sprint format. The primary criticism centres on the heightened risk it imposes. With two competitive sessions—the Sprint Shootout and the Grand Prix qualifying—taking place on the same day, drivers are pushed to the limit on a circuit notorious for its narrow, unforgiving walls.
'It's just a lot more risk,' Norris explained. 'We have two qualifyings now, which is double the risk. But if you have a crash, you can't do the rest of qualifying. It's not like we gain anything from it. It's just more risk, more cost, for no reason.'
His argument points to a fundamental flaw: a single mistake in the morning's Sprint Shootout could write off a car for the afternoon's all-important Grand Prix qualifying, effectively ruining a team's entire weekend based on one error.
What's Next for F1's Sprint Experiment?
The vehement feedback from star drivers like Norris and Hamilton will undoubtedly place the Sprint format under intense scrutiny by Formula 1's owners and the FIA. The experiment was designed to create more action and engagement across the entire race weekend, but if it is alienating the very drivers fans tune in to watch, its long-term future may be in doubt.
All eyes will now be on the main event on Sunday to see if Charles Leclerc can convert his pole position into a victory, and whether Lando Norris can salvage a points finish from a weekend he has already condemned.
