Russell: F1 sprint races need to be 50% longer to work

F1 staged its first sprint race of the season at Imola last weekend after introducing the new format at three events in 2021.

The sprint race takes place on a Saturday, running to one-third of the grand prix distance, and sets the grid for Sunday as well as offering points to the top eight finishers.

Sprint races have divided opinion since their introduction among both fans and drivers. While many see the benefits of having action on all three days of the race weekend, others feels more tweaks need to be made to the format moving forward.

Russell endured a difficult Saturday for Mercedes in the sprint race, starting and finishing 11th as he struggled to make any progress.

“I’m not a major fan of it, in all honesty,” Russell said of the sprint format.

“It needs to probably be 50% longer, or just that little bit longer to see the tyres degrading.

“The drivers maybe need to manage the tyres a bit more, and then you can see a bit more of a difference between cars.

“At the moment, everyone is just going flat out, and there’s not a big enough lap time difference to see those overtakes, unless you qualify out of position like you saw with some cars.”

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL36, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB18, the rest of the field at the start

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

Drivers get a free choice of starting tyre for the sprint, with most opting to fit the softest available compound. The 21-lap race at Imola saw three drivers start on mediums in the hope the soft runners would struggle more with degradation, only to find this was not the case.

Haas driver Kevin Magnussen slipped from fourth to eighth in the sprint after opting to run