What did you think of today’s sprint race? Share your verdict on the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix Sprint Race.
RaceFans has held polls on every F1 race since 2008 to find out which fans thought of each round of the season.
Join in the latest poll and give your verdict on the race: 10 being the highest and 1 the lowest. Please vote based on how entertaining and exciting you thought the race was, not on how your preferred driver or team performed.
What were the best and worst moments of the race? What was the main thing you’ll remember about it? Rate the race out of ten and leave a comment below:
Rate the 2022 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix sprint race out of 10
- 10 (3%)
- 9 (8%)
- 8 (15%)
- 7 (18%)
- 6 (14%)
- 5 (7%)
- 4 (5%)
- 3 (6%)
- 2 (6%)
- 1 (17%)
Total Voters: 124
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2022 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix
- Aston Martin’s first points reward “immense” effort by factory after Melbourne crashes
- Verstappen becomes 14th driver in F1 history to score more than one ‘grand slam’
- Transcript: “I need more power” – Hamilton and Russell’s contrasting fortunes at Imola
- Ferrari backs increase to six sprint races as F1 Commission meets in London
- Ocon blames pit equipment after penalty for near-miss with Hamilton in pits
Debates and polls
- Will Alonso win a world championship title with Aston Martin?
- How long should Red Bull give Ricciardo to prove he’s not lost his touch?
- Were stewards right to penalise Alonso over his driving before Russell’s crash?
- Are Williams right to bench Sargeant so Albon can race after crash?
- Is the FIA right to make ten seconds the new standard for penalties?
Broom (@)
23rd April 2022, 16:07
Nice fight for the lead but the overtaking is too easy with DRS passes in the same place as much as Sky try to hype it.
pastaman
23rd April 2022, 17:42
It was only easy for cars with an already large speed differential over a slower team
sumedhvidwans (@sumedhvidwans)
23rd April 2022, 16:07
I liked it.
Ferrari poorer on its tyres than Red Bull. Tantalising last laps as pit stop isn’t worth it in a sprint.
Looking at the wear Leclerc had, I feel a red bull 1-2 is possible tomorrow
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
23rd April 2022, 16:33
@sumedhvidwans I wonder if Ferrari went for a lower drag setup which has compromised their tyre life. They were both in the top 5 of the speed trap.
Jere (@jerejj)
23rd April 2022, 16:10
Good battling for a Sprint. The best or at least 2nd-best Sprint thus far behind only Silverstone’s equivalent.
Roger Ayles (@roger-ayles)
23rd April 2022, 16:10
So with the sprint allowing Perez to gain some spots & Sainz to move up from 10th to 4th that is all racing action we now won’t be seeing tomorrow in the GP.
Great job taking away away from the GP & devaluing it since we have seen a start, know how the soft/medium tires will act, how stupidly powerful the Dumb Racing System is going to be (Which also makes me less excited for the GP since we know we won’t get to see any good overtaking) & 21 laps of racing today.
Awful format full of awful artificial gimmicks!
pSynrg (@psynrg)
23rd April 2022, 19:50
@roger-ayles Totally agree!
yahbasic (@thedogjustpukedonme)
23rd April 2022, 21:48
A perfect summation!
accidental mick (@accidental-mick)
26th April 2022, 9:25
very boring.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
23rd April 2022, 21:50
Yes, I liked this sprint relatively, but indeed it takes away from racing action, sainz would’ve had to work hard to close the gap to the top 3, instead now he’s immediately back in the mix with a good start.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
24th April 2022, 8:28
Unfortunately I have to agree. I have just made the same point on another thread. It now makes the main race too easy for the faster cars.
Pedro (@)
23rd April 2022, 16:11
7 for felt, as I felt that DRS was too powerful in the main straight
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
23rd April 2022, 21:50
Most passes were indeed too easy, but you see when verstappen came upon a strong opponent in a top car, it wasn’t an easy pass at all!
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
23rd April 2022, 16:13
As a stand alone race, sure it was entertaining. It’s really just worked to filter the poor qualy performances (like Sainz) back to where they should be and likewise to the great qualy performances (Alonso, Magnussen, Vettel). I think it also showed that DRS is redundant here. I think if this was the actual Grand prix, we would have seen a great race with the grid we had. Now the race tomorrow will be a standard one with not really anyone starting out of position. I will concede however that the only reason we had an unusual grid in the first place was because we had the wet qualy on a Friday.
Gusmaia
23rd April 2022, 16:39
By what weve seen until now, the most consequential result from the sprints is to give top teams a mulligan on a bad qualy.
This and robbing the chance for a bottom tier team to befenit from a good qualifying. MAG wil be startin at 8th, not 4th. on Sunday,
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
23rd April 2022, 21:52
While I agree with this point, think about it: if magnussen fell from 4th to 8th in a sprint, where would he fall if he started 4th in the race? Surely further behind, unless the car is able to keep 8th.
LS (@)
23rd April 2022, 23:30
I think part of that was haas’ ridiculous idea to start on mediums. I think on an equal tire he’d fall back slightly but not much. We saw him in Australia and Saudi have good pace on the hards when others were on mediums, keeping in the top 6 for awhile in front of arguably faster cars until putting. Alonso has been fairly good at this as well as we saw in Australia when he and mag were keeping pace before having to pit. We also saw Albon benefit from this. So to summarize I don’t think the out of place qualifiers would have fallen too much, although Alonso had surprisingly bad pace today. Hopefully the sprint can benefit those teams that are fighting in the midfield by giving them a second chance to rethink their strategy and possibly pull out a surprise top 5 finish.
Sviat
23rd April 2022, 16:15
0. What a dumb race with 0 real passes. Overtaking without DRS was clearly possible today.
Proesterchen (@proesterchen)
23rd April 2022, 16:20
This is Imola. I don’t know what you were expecting.
kcrossle (@kcrossle)
23rd April 2022, 16:24
Saint made a non-DRS pass. Can’t remember who, but I thought “There! Let’s have more like that”
S
23rd April 2022, 16:31
He also has a substantially faster car than that which he passed.
Gusmaia
23rd April 2022, 16:40
Do people remember a few seasons ago when that would be no overtake unless the car behind was 2sec faster?
S
23rd April 2022, 16:47
Sadly, I’ve seen way more than just a few seasons.
DRS is still necessary unfortunately – but they could really benefit from having less opening in the rear wing. It’s just too strong here.
I think F1 is simply compensating for the fact that the cars still aren’t good enough, and this track still isn’t suitable for modern F1.
There’s only one overtaking spot on the track, so they are making sure drivers can take advantage of it.
P
23rd April 2022, 16:44
There was also Bottas on Alonso, both with DRS. That was a little more like how it should be.
But yes, the first DRS pass was an immediate disappointment.
S
23rd April 2022, 16:17
Would have been better if DRS had half the effect.
Still, it was OK. Maybe a 5.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
23rd April 2022, 21:53
Yes, this would be helpful, feels like without drs you don’t pass here, but half the effect it has now could work.
Proesterchen (@proesterchen)
23rd April 2022, 16:18
This “thing” really benefitted from Max Verstappen’s bad start.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
23rd April 2022, 21:54
Yes, it’s made the chase for the lead interesting, verstappen was steadily gaining 1-2 tenths per lap till he managed to get into drs.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
23rd April 2022, 16:20
Lets see.. 2 changes for the lead in 21 laps..
Just amazing so 10 out of 10..
The race tomorrow waters my mouth with prospects.
Dutchguy (@justarandomdutchguy)
23rd April 2022, 16:22
Pretty decent, if a bit DRS dependant.
But to be honest, this race/quali-thingy still highlights how unnecessary the whole concept is. Verstappen and Leclerc ultimately finished where they started, and the midfielders that qualified are now further down the field, unable to spice the grand prix proper up. If they’d race with the grid from Friday, the opening of the GP would be pretty much as good, and the sprint race format offers little room for any strategy.
Gusmaia
23rd April 2022, 16:43
There is no incentive to push. Gasly and Zhou are in worst position now.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
23rd April 2022, 21:55
Well, for the front runners there’s a bit more incentive now, there’s 8 points on offer for a sprint, no longer 3.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
23rd April 2022, 21:57
And there are positions where drivers get more than 1\3 of what they get in a race, 2nd is 18 vs 7, 3rd is 15 vs 6 and 4th is 12 vs 5, 5th is 10 vs 4, 6th is 8 vs 3, so there’s more of an incentive for these positions, seeing as a sprint is only 1\3 the duration of a normal race.
StefMeister (@stefmeister)
23rd April 2022, 16:23
I don’t know what to give it partly because I hate the format but also because I don’t like how this sprint has affected tomorrow’s GP. For me my whole dislike of this format is about how it alters the feel/flow of the weekend, How it alters the other sessions & the knock-on effect it has for the GP.
It’s things like Carlos Sainz qualifying out of position yet making up all that ground in the sprint which is then action that is been taken away from the GP tomorrow. And stuff like Kevin Magnussen having a brilliant qualifying session only to lose out (Not helped by a way too powerful DRS) before even getting into the GP which just makes that job in qualifying feel less meaningful.
And again for me having seen a build-up, race start & what is effectively the opening stint of the GP which has answered the questions that are usually unknowns going into the GP i’m just less hyped/excited going into tomorrow, Just as I was the 3 we had last year.
I just can’t stand this whole format & the more of these sprint weekends I see the less I like them.
S
23rd April 2022, 16:36
You are ‘rating’ this session poorly because of all the things that haven’t happened yet?
This sprint session may well have set up a better GP than it could otherwise have been without it. You just don’t know yet.
So basically you are actually rating your own general feeling, and not the actual sprint session that just took place at all, @stefmeister.
Proesterchen (@proesterchen)
23rd April 2022, 16:39
Just remember we wouldn’t have had today’s starting grid for the GP anyway as it would have been sunny during today’s regular qualifying.
pastaman
23rd April 2022, 17:45
That’s not the point… As long as there is a session between qualy and the race this will happen
Gusmaia
23rd April 2022, 16:45
Add to it that the poor Ferrari perfomance would only be discovered on Sunday. Now, that can have a whole different strategy. In a way, VER winning today reduced his chances for Sunday.
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
23rd April 2022, 23:39
This.
Quite beautifully put. The successes of qualifying are overrun by the reality of the sprint race, which in itself means little yet provides significant points.
Every time I watch a sprint race I feel millions of F1 fans and the drivers cringe in unison. It’s contrived, unnecessary (when part of a properly competitive season, like this one) and adds absolutely zero to the experience of being an F1 fan, except for a raising of the blood pressure in longer term fans!
S
24th April 2022, 8:43
You should see a doctor then, @sonnycrockett.
Perhaps get them to check your blood pressure too.
I don’t call myself an F1 fan – though I have been watching for quite a long time – but for me the sprints most certainly do add something.
Maybe that’s the point – my standards of what I expect from F1 aren’t too high – like they seem to be for a stereotypical self-professed ‘fan.’
Gusmaia
23rd April 2022, 16:29
DRS may be a little strong but I think that some people complaining about it dont remember the races before DRS.
The new regulations are helping, but in a race like today, without DRS, there would be almost on overtakes.
Yes, MAG would be passed anyway and SAI would pass some slower cars, but I am not sure that VER would reach LEC in time.
Without DRS the entire field would simply look like the bottom of the field – with a couple of cars in a train, unable to pass.
Roger Ayles (@roger-ayles)
23rd April 2022, 16:41
I do, I often go back & watch them & enjoy many of them far more than I do any race where DRS makes overtaking far too easy.
I would much rather watch races like Imola 2005/06 where we actually got to see some genuine battles than a race like today where it’s just all artificial push of a button highway passing which nobody will remember in a hours time.
I want to see some proper battling where it’s all about the slipstream pulling drivers alongside to give us some competitive wheel to wheel racing into the braking zone where any overtake is about drivers been better on the brakes and where defending is possible via good positioning and/or again better better on the brakes.
DRS is simply quantity over quality & nobody will remember any of those DRS highway passes like they do those battles from the pre-DRS days even if they didn’t ultimately feature an overtake (As those 2 races at Imola in 05-06 didn’t).
Gusmaia
23rd April 2022, 16:52
But which overtakes today were really DRS dependent? Maybe only VER over LEC. Everybody could pass MAG even without DRS. SAI could pass a lot of people without it.
Without DRS the VER closing the gap on LEC, let alone the passing, might ve not happened.
Just look on the back of the grid – nothing happened with DRS, much less would have without it.
MG1982 (@mg1982)
23rd April 2022, 18:04
Don’t think so. Not saying that it would have been impossible for him, but AFAIK only his 1st pass was without DRS.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
23rd April 2022, 22:06
That’s because he didn’t have to because he had drs, there were times where he closed up so fast to the preceding car, like norris, that he probably would’ve done it even without drs.
petebaldwin (@)
23rd April 2022, 17:19
I remember races before DRS. Some great defensive drives and a real sense of excitement when someone made a move stick. Now most passes are just not exciting…
It’s like being awarded a goal in football because you had the most possession for the last 10 minutes as opposed to having to actually score a goal.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
24th April 2022, 8:34
+1
S
24th April 2022, 8:44
Likewise – and those which were actually memorable enough for me recall were mostly pretty mediocre.
Craig
23rd April 2022, 16:34
On the whole, this sprint wasted what was a very interesting grid, more or less ‘normalising’ the order ahead of tomorrow. There’s very little inclination to make moves without a clear advantage and no strategic options to try and set things in your favour.
It really has taken a great deal of interest and intrigue out of the main race tomorrow.
S
23rd April 2022, 16:41
Wow, your crystal ball is pretty awesome too, Craig.
Tell me – do you get this disappointed after 1/3 distance of every GP too? The final 2/3 have been ruined by the first part by that point every single time…
Gusmaia
23rd April 2022, 16:55
We cant deny that today race changed the prospect of tomorrow’s race.
If the poor Ferrari perfomance happened on the 1st third of the Sunday race, that would be it,- the race would be over and Ver had the win. Now, Ferrari knows that the current setup/tyres wont work and will benefit from now that a day before the proper race.
jff
23rd April 2022, 17:09
There’s not a lot they can do about except worrying the whole night.
Craig
23rd April 2022, 17:15
You forget a rather significant difference between sprint and the main race; pit stratergy. A poor pit stop or tyres going off/lasting longer then expected changes everything.
You also have far more points on offer. If you’re fighting another car would you be more likely to fight hard over 1 or 7 points? Sure Leclerc would have prefered to win but it hardly matters Verstappen overtook him, much like the McLarens weren’t bothered about putting up a hard fight against Perez or Saniz, nor were the Mercedes putting any serious moves on those around them. The main race has far more to offer with far more options available.
S
24th April 2022, 8:57
I haven’t forgotten strategy at all, Craig.
I’m a huge fan of the strategic element in motorsport – but at the same time I know that strategy in F1 doesn’t normally mean much now that computers do most of the thinking for each team.
The fact remains that the opening part of the GP is essentially no different to the sprint. As soon as they pit, they settle into conservation mode and take as few risks as possible.
The point of the sprint is to provide something different to the normal GP – and that’s still happening anyway so nothing is lost.
Without the sprint, qualifying would have been in the dry on Saturday afternoon, making the grid order likely less ‘mixed up’ anyway – meaning the actual GP would likely have been no better than it will now, after a sprint.
Nick T.
23rd April 2022, 16:49
Liked the race. Hope we don’t see a whole bunch of absurd red flags in the GP. There were more red flags in the past two seasons than all of 2000-2010 combined. At one stage F1 went four years without a red flag (Brazil 2003 – Europe 2007). So, there is ZERO excuse for the current zero tolerance for cars on the side of the track policy right now.
CashNotClass (@cashnotclass)
23rd April 2022, 17:36
The main lesson F1 has learned from Bianchi’s tragic fatal accident has been that there can never be non-neutralized driving while there are marshals and recovery equipment near or on the track. While it’s certainly a good thing to reduce the risks to both marshals and drivers, what’s been forgotten is that Bianchi was traveling at over 200 km/h under double yellows, and that this was perfectly okay by F1’s curious interpretations of FIA flag rules (and still is!).
A proper enforcement of the already existing yellow flag rules (so not just lifting off for a brief moment) would allow F1 to prevent a lot of red flags and safety cars. Not only would marshals be safer knowing that yellow flags actually meant something, it would also improve the competition by keeping alternative race strategies viable, allowing more drivers to put in laps during qualifying, and keep sessions from much longer than planned to complete.
If the amateur drivers in sportscar series can handle slow zones, why can’t F1?
petebaldwin (@)
23rd April 2022, 17:15
Are we supposed to rate this alongside proper races or in its own category? As a sprint race, it was probably a 7 but if it’s being compared to proper races, a a 3 or 4 probably….
JJ (@jjfrazz)
23rd April 2022, 17:24
Is any more proof needed to show that the new cars are a total failure at being racing cars? Ross Brawn? They are overweight, huge, and totally dependent on DRS and tire wear. Is that what all the millions of wasted dollars was supposed to correct? Ross Brawn?
(The problem with Ross is that when he watches the cars racing he sees them as pencils and computer code fighting a battle at Agincourt!)
Lastly, who will be the first F1 driver to suffer brain damage from this ridiculous porpoising? Any bets?
pastaman
23rd April 2022, 17:47
Wow, how quickly we forget previous seasons
CashNotClass (@cashnotclass)
23rd April 2022, 17:27
Unfortunately, these mini-race mostly just allow drivers in faster cars to fix their qualifying mishaps, thereby detracting from the actual Grand Prix. Other than that, over half the grid doesn’t have much of an incentive to really push their cars. And having yet another safety car/red flag (what’s the average per session now?) also lessened the impact of different tyre choices. With these current race directors it doesn’t make much sense to gamble on alternative strategies as they’ll probably be invalidated by all the neutralizations.
David BR (@david-br)
23rd April 2022, 17:47
3. Not much racing and it detracts from qualifying and the main race.
Broke1984 (@broke1984)
23rd April 2022, 17:48
It was ok but DRS nullified any excitement for a worthy pass. 1
Mayrton
23rd April 2022, 17:53
Would have to go for a 1 imho. Useless sprint, very short. No overtakes bar DRS ones. Total waste of time
Nikos (@exeviolthor)
23rd April 2022, 17:53
I suppose that for a sprint race it was good.
But it still was just a sprint race.
The problem with sprint races is that just when things get interesting it ends. It is just like having a red flag.
Got a 2 from me.
Pedro (@)
23rd April 2022, 18:49
Also, it was odd for Magnussen, starting 4th on the grid, opted to run the slower medium tyres. OK, there was some degradation in the sprint race, but at least try to save it for the main race…
Sham (@sham)
23rd April 2022, 20:20
Just boring. The cars look ungainly, the racing is DRS fakery and the sprint races especially are a complete farce aimed at nothing more than sensationalism.
I really hope that when the teams and drivers get properly on top of the regulations that things will improve, but please please please get rid of DRS.
Andres Satizabal
23rd April 2022, 20:25
Best sprint so far. Sets up a great race for either 1-2 and 3-4, or at least 2-3 place. Mercedes are truly in trouble.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
23rd April 2022, 21:45
1 (18%)
2 (8%)
3 (4%)
4 (4%)
5 (7%)
6 (16%)
7 (18%)
8 (17%)
9 (7%)
10 (2%)
Total Voters: 90
For a sprint was good, I gave it 8, the battle for the lead was interesting and there was some recovery, especially sainz, and some overtakes also further back. Don’t think it has much competition in terms of sprints so far.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
23rd April 2022, 21:47
Also interesting how like 3 drivers went for mediums, while everyone else picked softs, unlike silverstone last year, where very few gambled on softs, so last year we had alonso with degrading tyres defending most of the race, and this year we had magnussen and schumacher especially struggling initially and then making up a place when the others ran out of tyres.
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
23rd April 2022, 23:56
So, you’re an F1 driver that’s struggled to perform to your full potential. Qualifying has left you several places short of your car’s true performance level and you wish you had the opportunity to make amends.
Welcome, one and all, to Sprint Qualifying.
Screwed up in quali? Show the world what you’re really about by passing those drivers that had the audacity to out perform you in qualifying, despite their inferior cars.
Gave every inch of your body and soul in quali? Sorry, but for some reason the FIA thinks it’s really important that you and your team are forced back to where they rightfully belong, despite your Herculean efforts to outperform your car and, in doing so, inspire those watching.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the utterly incomprehensible mess that is ‘Sprint Qualifying’.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
24th April 2022, 8:38
💯 % for this comment. Brawn and co. are just burying their head in the sand and not listening. Like nearly everything in F1 now it’s all about money!
S
24th April 2022, 10:53
Something wrong with your comprehension, @sonnycrockett?
Maybe F1 is too advanced for you.
As to all your spiel – isn’t that exactly what the GP does too?
You probably don’t think so, right?
Duncan Idaho (@didaho)
24th April 2022, 3:45
Do you need to add a zero rating for the people that don’t like seeing F1 cars and drivers racing?
EffWunFan (@cairnsfella)
24th April 2022, 9:14
Sorry, I haven’t read all the posts, so apologies if this is mentioned.
Looking at the votes, it appears as though many that cast a vote for “1” would likely be better represented by a category of “I would not like a sprint race even if it provided the most amazing racing I have ever or will ever see“, such is that rating’s inconsistency with the rest of the votes cast. Of course, this is a valid stance, but at the same time is not really representative of the poll’s intent.
Personally I assessed the sprint for what it was, and believe it was a reasonably good instalment of the event. This does not mean that I am ‘pro’ sprint races, however.
If we have to have them my main remaining issue is that it makes FP2 an entirely internal test session. i.e. it has no significant bearing on the race weekend. I’d almost prefer to have two practices and a qualy on Friday, and just the sprint on Saturday. Obviously this would be a big ask on one day though.
S
24th April 2022, 11:00
Common sense? Here?
Awesome! It’s rare enough to be a great novelty.
FP2 does still carry the same significance, regardless of being a sprint race event or not. It’s just focused more on long runs and less on qualifying run performance.
I’d like to see less practice and more competitive sessions taking up the weekend’s track time – but I guess I don’t fit into the classic F1-viewer box.