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These were the reactions of drivers and team bosses after the Silverstone sprint race

These were the reactions of drivers and team bosses after the Silverstone sprint race

09-09-2021 20:16 Last update: 20:17

GPblog.com

This weekend the second sprint race of the season is scheduled. After the spectacular sprint race at Silverstone, won by Max Verstappen, the format will be tested for the second time at Monza. What were the reactions of the drivers and team owners after the first sprint race again?

Many drivers were positive. Verstappen, for example, enjoyed the less heavy cars and quickly discovered the secret formula for success. "What's important is to try to get a good start, put a good first lap down and then of course try to work your way in, you know, and follow your pace. That's what I tried to do, what I thought about before I got in the car. Of course, if it works, it's great. I don't think much changes at the end."

Alonso and Vettel also pleased with first sprint race

Verstappen was not the only one to praise the new format, which was tried out for the first time in Britain. Alonso sees the entertainment for the fans increasing thanks to the sprint race. "The long runs in practice might be very important for the teams and the drivers, but not for the people," he said.

Generational rival Sebastian Vettel was also pleased, but had to get used to it. "It was a bit strange because it was by far the shortest race in recent years for me, but it's not bad. I'm sure people loved it. I think it's better than watching free practice."

And then there was Lando Norris, who had huge fun during qualifying and sprint racing."I had a lot of fun on Friday. To be in qualifying after just one practice session is pretty cool. It's also a test. Not only for us as drivers, but also for the engineers. We have to do everything faster and we don't have the whole day and night to perfect everything."

Drivers and team bosses also less enthusiastic

These were not entirely coincidentally the people who ended up on the wrong side of the medal during the sprint race. For example, Toto Wolff, team boss of Mercedes, saw Hamilton's pole position lost in the very first corner of the sprint race.

"There shouldn't be racing for pole, but the other way around I could say the same about qualifying. If you lose the race while starting from pole it's irritating. I don't see it at every race. I think there is too much randomness. I think if we do five races this way, I'm only for it."

Finally, Sergio Perez, who crashed during the sprint race, meaning he could forget his race a day later."You can't prepare for anything. You can't prepare for the sprint and you can't prepare much for the race. Everyone is saving miles."

In short: reactions were mixed. There is still a lot of work to be done to perfect it, something that can start this weekend in Monza.