Flavio Briatore has called for Formula 1 to hold a Sprint race at every Grand Prix, arguing that traditional Friday practice sessions provide too little entertainment for spectators. The Alpine executive adviser believes all 24 race weekends should feature two competitive races and two starts.
Briatore has long supported Formula 1’s efforts to increase the spectacle offered across a Grand Prix weekend. While the championship has considered expanding the Sprint format from six events to 10 or 12, the Italian manager would go considerably further by introducing one at every round.
Flavio Briatore backs 24 Formula 1 Sprint races
Flavio Briatore has always been a central figure in Formula 1. He has won, helped transform the sport and played a role in launching young talents who later became champions. However, he has also divided opinion, caused controversy and was one of the leading figures in one of the biggest scandals in motorsport history.
That is part of Briatore’s character: take him or leave him. Alpine chose to bring him back into its organisation as it attempts to restore the Enstone team’s competitiveness.
Given his experience and profile, Briatore’s influence extends beyond Alpine. He also has strong opinions about Formula 1 as a whole and the direction the championship should take in the near future.
On that subject, he is closely aligned with Formula 1 owner Liberty Media and chief executive Stefano Domenicali. Briatore’s ideas are, if anything, even more radical, particularly when it comes to Sprint races.
Briatore says Formula 1 must offer fans more action
During a lengthy interview with The Race for The Race Business Podcast, Flavio Briatore repeated a proposal he had already mentioned several months earlier during an interview with Sky Sport F1.
Expanding the number of Sprints from six to 10 or 12 would be a positive step in his view, but he would prefer every Grand Prix on the 24-race Formula 1 calendar to feature a second race.
“If we continue like this, Formula 1 will continue to grow,” Flavio Briatore said. “I don’t know how much it will grow in the future, but it will continue. However, we also need to change the races a little. I believe we need to have Sprint races.
“If it were up to me, I would hold them every weekend because we need to give the spectators something more. There are still weekends when we do nothing for the spectators because Friday morning is dedicated only to technical testing.
“You go out for a lap, then you return to the pits and that is it. Then on Saturday you have qualifying, and finally there is the race. That is the end of it. With the Sprint, at least there are two races, two starts and the driver is competing for something rather than driving only for the engineers.”
Why Briatore believes Friday practice needs to change
Briatore’s argument centres on the entertainment value of a Formula 1 weekend. Traditional free practice allows teams to complete technical checks, evaluate set-ups and gather data, but he believes those sessions provide too little meaningful action for the fans watching from the grandstands.
By adding a Sprint to every event, drivers would compete for a result twice during the weekend. In Briatore’s view, two starts and two races would offer spectators greater value and reduce the amount of track time devoted primarily to engineering work.
“In my opinion, we need Sprint races. If it were up to me, with 24 Grands Prix, I would have 24 Sprints,” Flavio Briatore reiterated.
Silverstone crowds strengthen Briatore’s case
Briatore also pointed to the increasing number of spectators attending Formula 1 events throughout the entire weekend. He recalled arriving at Silverstone on the Thursday of the British Grand Prix and being struck by how busy the circuit already was.
“This year, when I arrived at Silverstone on Thursday, it looked like a Sunday from seven years ago because of how many people were there. There had never been so many people on a Thursday.
“I remember that at Silverstone 10 years ago, there was nobody there on Thursday and there were only a few people on Friday. Then the grandstands were full on Saturday and Sunday. Now there were already so many people there on Thursday, 20,000 or 30,000,” he concluded.
Formula 1 currently stages 24 Grands Prix, and discussions over the championship’s future format continue alongside planning for the 2027 Formula 1 calendar. Briatore’s proposal would represent a major expansion of the Sprint concept and a fundamental change to the structure of every race weekend.
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