Ross Brawn has admitted there is a possibility that future World Championships could end up being won on a Saturday, as Formula 1 expands the number of Grands Prix being run using the Sprint Qualifying format. Rolled out for three Grands Prix this season, the format is set to be used at six events in 2022. Depending on which races are chosen, there is a possibility that a championship could be decided on a Sprint Qualifying weekend as points are handed out for the results of the short Saturday race. Asked whether this means the final races of a season aren't likely to use the Sprint Qualifying format, F1's Managing Director explained that it will be a consideration for Formula 1 but won't sway their decision-making completely. "I wouldn't say desperately keen [to avoid such a situation]," Brawn told select members of the media, including RacingNews365.com . "We'd all love a cliffhanger at the last race of the season. Maybe we'll get one this year, which would be fantastic. But if a driver could win the championship on a Saturday with the Sprint and somebody needed to stop him, then that would be a pretty exciting aspect to it. "We'd all like to see a race won on the last day of the season, the championship won on the last Sunday of the season, but it doesn't happen very often. "I think it will have a gentle impact on the races we choose. But we won't be pushing the last event so far forward that it couldn't possibly happen." Formula 1 is keen to push the new Sprint Qualifying format, and Brawn admitted that there is a possibility it could eventually become the standard format for qualifying if it proves successful in the short-term future. "There's no reason why they couldn't evolve in that way," he commented. "I think we're taking it carefully, step by step. I think, off the back of six, you can then decide if you want to increase the number. I don't think we should be afraid of doing that because, in doing that, it will be a measure of success of the Sprint. "If that is the format for the future, then I think we've gone about it the right way but, equally, we may conclude that having it as a showcase event adds some interest to the season." Brawn said the format has been welcomed by the drivers, who are enjoying the immediacy of the weekends ramping up on a Friday evening. "So [with] Fridays, talking to the drivers about the Sprint, they've said Friday is great now," he went on to comment. "Friday had pretty uniform support from most of the drivers, [the] only ones who were a little bit apprehensive were the rookies who didn't get as much running on a Friday as they might have enjoyed. "I think that point is open in that it could evolve that way. But it will evolve that way because it's the best thing to do."
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