Fernando Alonso was the rider who best took advantage of this novelty in Great Britain, going so far as to make Brawn choose his start from 11th to 5th as the moment of the sprint, a maneuver from which the rest will learn for this new attempt.
The new format that Formula 1 intended to launch as a test to consolidate or discard in future seasons is already a reality: Silverstone hosted the first classification at sprint of the history of the premier class of motorsport, an alternative weekend configuration that, while in general terms it pleased fans as well as pilots and managers, has raised several questions.
What is the point of playing Free Practice 2 when the closed park came into force on the previous day? Why call you ‘classification’ and no ‘career’ to the sprint with more points awarded to a greater number of drivers and not just the top three? Why call poleman to the fastest in the race to the sprint and not the one who sets the fastest lap in Q3 of qualifying?
All these questions and a few more arose in the paddock, although Ross Brawn made it clear that such suggestions would be taken into account … from next year, not for 2021. After outlining a draft that included Monza and Interlagos as possible next circuits to host these tests, Formula 1 has made official that the ‘Temple of Speed’ will be a definitive choice. Brazil, meanwhile, remains in the air waiting for the COVID-19 to allow or not to move the grill there, although they already sound candidates to replace it.
Therefore, each day will run from start to finish and will end later than in previous years, guaranteeing fans a longer time to have fun. On this occasion, the pilots will give 18 laps at 5,793 meters from Monza before the poleman of the Grand Prix, something that is unnatural for those who fight for it regularly under the traditional format.