Martin Brundle thinks that the introduction of new regulations into Formula 1 in 2022 could mean that Sprint Qualifying has more of an impact. The former F1 driver is a fan of the newly-introduced format, which has been trialled twice so far in the 2021 season at Silverstone and Monza. There have been mixed reactions from fans and drivers about the new Saturday event, with Sergio Perez describing the most recent outing as "boring", but Brundle is hopeful that changes to the cars in 2022 could have a positive effect on how the Sprint works. "I thought the Sprint format energised Friday and Saturday [at the Italian Grand Prix], and played a role in the jeopardy and outcome of the main race by having a race rather than any kind of artificial grid reversal or weight ballast," Brundle wrote in his Sky Sports F1 column. "If the 2022 cars are much better at overtaking as promised, then the Sprint format will work better." After Max Verstappen won the first Sprint race at the British Grand Prix, it was Valtteri Bottas who claimed a dominant victory at the format's second outing in Monza. Brundle was impressed by the Finn's win, as well as his determined performance in the main Grand Prix where he drove from the back of the field to finish in third place. "Valtteri Bottas had a truly impressive weekend with the Sprint victory and driving through the surviving field from 19th to a very fine podium and third place," Brundle said. "He described it as one of his best GPs for Mercedes in the week it was confirmed he is Alfa Romeo bound and will not retain his Merc seat. F1 is a funny old business." The third and final trial of Sprint Qualifying in the 2021 F1 season will be held at the Brazilian Grand Prix in November, after which the format will be assessed to decide if and how it could be used next year.
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