Ross Brawn reflects on F1 considering Sprint races at every Grand Prix

In 2017 Ross Brawn took over the position of general manager and sports manager of Liberty Media’s Formula 1 project and at the end of 2022 he decided to retire, thus putting an end to his long experience in the top motor racing category that lasted almost forty years.

The British manager thus wanted to look back at his activity over these six seasons, addressing various points that have been changed in the last few championships: “The governance system has been improved, we now have much more flexibility and unanimity is not required so that the sport can make changes. As long as there are eight teams in agreement, action can be taken immediately. With five teams, plus FIA and F1, we can introduce new rules for the long term. There are no longer the constraints of the past and these are steps forward in the right direction” – he explained.

The former Ferrari, Benetton and Mercedes engineer highlighted: “We have introduced the budget cap and the modification of the race weekends format”.

And it was precisely on this last aspect that Ross Brawn dedicated an in-depth analysis: “I consider the current qualifying to be very good. The three phases keep the viewers interested throughout the duration and from time to time they present some interesting variables. The Sprint appears to have been an introduction that worked. In 2023 we will have six. I don’t know what the optimal number will be in the long run. Some feel we should have a Sprint at every race. We’ll see if things evolve in this direction. The Sprint certainly livened up the whole weekend and offers three days of track action.” – the former Ferrari boss added.

Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection! Click here to enter the F1 online Store and shop securely! And also get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!

The work of the Formula 1 top management also focused on the circuits: “We have also set up a team that studies ways to make the tracks more interesting”. Finally Ross Brawn shared a thought to the new technical generation of single-seaters: “It was a big change, we put our hand to the regulation with a new vision. The priority has been to build a better racing car, whereas in the past it was safety. The mentality has gone in a different direction, that of driveability and I am very proud of this change. Seeing two or three cars side by side had never happened, as well as following whoever is in front without problems”. – Ross Brawn concluded.