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The Best F1 Sprint Weekend Moments [VIDEOS]

The F1 Sprint weekend is upon us, and the F1 world is abuzz with excitement. If you’re unsure what the sprint means, it’s a new idea designed to make qualifying more interesting for fans.

The idea behind the sprint is that there will only be two practice sessions on Sprint weekends, giving the teams less time to finetune their machines for qualifying and the race. The first will take place on Friday ahead of qualifying, with the second slotting in before the Sprint on Saturday.

The winner takes pole position and starts from first place. The rest of the grid will be set based on classification at the end of the 100km sprint race. The primary race on Sunday will stay as usual.

So, here are our top 5 best F1 sprint weekend moments:

  • Russell captures hearts at Silverstone

Fans were thrilled when Silverstone welcomed them for the first time after the global pandemic in 2021, and 140,000 spectators descended on the historic circuit for the British Grand Prix. It also heralded the debut of the F1 Sprint format. Local hero George Russell only fuelled the festival atmosphere with a stunning qualifying lap, his second Q3 appearance in a row for a Williams squad who had endured a rough few years. The crowd was in raptures when he made it through Q2 in P7 – and they were treated to something of a victory lap when the Williams driver emerged for the top 10 shootouts, ending up eighth on the grid.

  • Alonso scythes through the field

Fernando Alonso put on a legendary show at the start of the 2021 British Grand Prix Sprint. While he may have been a bit downtrodden not to make it out of Q2 – missing out by just 0.025s on Friday evening – he was firing on all cylinders for Saturday’s event.

The two-time champion started 11th, and by the first lap, he was a brilliant fifth with a masterclass on his starting soft compounds. It was a high-risk, high-reward strategy – perfect for a no-holds-barred, 100km dash to the line.

  • Hamilton’s sensational comeback at Sao Paulo

Lewis Hamilton only had 24 laps to make it from last on the grid to as high as he could in the Sao Paulo Sprint. Cue a performance that only someone of the seven-time champion’s caliber could pull off: He shot off the line on his medium tires and picked each passing place to perfection. By the start of Lap 2, he was 14th, and then there was a brief lull: The calm before the storm. Midway through the Sprint, Hamilton’s tires were in the window, and he was in the zone, up into the top 10. And by Lap 24, he’d sealed fifth.

Hamilton started 10th on Sunday, a new Mercedes engine giving him a five-place grid penalty. An electric display followed, the champion picking off cars left and right only to find Max Verstappen the most stubborn of obstacles. The Dutchman stuck his elbows right out at Turn 4 as the pair took to the run-off, but the Briton kept his cool and hit back for the unlikeliest of victories.

  • Bottas proves his worth at Monza

Valtteri Bottas was in a peculiar spot when the 2021 Italian Grand Prix and Sprint rolled around, having announced that he was to leave Mercedes for Alfa Romeo at the end of the season. However, the fight was still there from the Finn, and he aced qualifying – a tenth ahead of teammate Hamilton – to ensure P1 for the start of the Sprint. Pierre Gasly’s Turn 2 clash brought out a Safety Car, but with Mercedes deciding to change his power unit overnight, Bottas was set to start Sunday’s Grand Prix from last despite his P1 finish in the Sprint.

  • Ricciardo’s Sprint success paves the way for Monza victory

Bottas may have taken the spoils in the Monza Sprint – but Daniel Ricciardo played it beautifully for McLaren, sowing the seeds of what would ultimately prove a thrilling Italian Grand Prix victory. Strong pace from the Australian meant he finished the Sprint P3 – which became a front-row start for Ricciardo alongside Verstappen for Sunday’s Grand Prix once Bottas had taken his engine penalty.

With Verstappen on pole for the race, Ricciardo inched into the lead ahead of the Dutchman into the opening chicane and thundered away at the front. Ricciardo’s cause then got an extra boost following Verstappen and Hamilton’s controversial coming together. The Australian was eventually joined at the front of the field by his McLaren teammate Lando Norris, putting the team on course; for what was set to be a miraculous one-two!

LAST TIME OUT IMOLA. SEE VIDEO HIGHLIGHT BELOW

 

Written by John N

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