F1 sprint races in danger as big teams dig their heels in over money demands

Formula One sprint races could be deleted from the calendar this year due to a row over money.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and motorsport managing director Ross Brawn want to double the number of shortened-format rounds – first introduced at last year’s British Grand Prix – from three to six in 2022.

But a number of the grid’s front-running teams, including Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari, have said they will do so only if more money is added to the budget cap, which was set this year at £103m per team.

F1 and its governing body, the FIA, are unwilling to accommodate those financial demands , but F1 is ready to compromise by keeping the shortened events – which take place instead of qualifying on Saturday and determine the grid for Sunday’s main event – at just three of the 23 grands prix, in the hope of ramping up the tally next year.

However, there is a possibility that there will be no sprint races at all this season – with eight of the grid’s 10 teams required to vote in favour of the sport’s latest proposal.

The topic will be discussed at the F1 Commission on 14 February, a little more than four weeks before the start of the new season in Bahrain on 20 March.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown said some teams were being unreasonable in their monetary demands. “One in particular wanted a £3.7m budget cap increase which was just ridiculous, with no rational facts behind it,” he said. “When those facts are challenged, the response is, ‘well, you have to anticipate and have the extra money just in case something happens’. You end up sitting there and realising it is just nonsense.

“We all have the same challenge. If you do happen to have more crashes, well that is part of sport, like a football player getting injured. We shouldn’t