Former Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan has called out the sprint race format and the use of DRS in the sport. While he termed sprint races “a complete sham,” Jordan described the Drag Reduction System (DRS) as a trick that gives undue advantage to any driver who chases the car in front of him.
Sprint races were introduced in 2021 with the F1 calendar featuring three events. However, the number has now risen to six. Sprint weekends add considerable pressure on F1 teams to prepare for race weekends since the sprint race also features its own qualifying as a separate session. As a result, the narrow window to set up the car for Saturday’s sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix becomes a huge task for the teams.
Jordan hints that the sprint races add no value to the sport and describes them as “absolutely shambolic.” Speaking to former F1 driver David Coulthard on the Formula For Success podcast, the 75-year-old said:
“The sprint races, for me, are a complete con, a complete sham.
“They do nothing for me and I haven’t seen a decent one yet.
“I think it’s time – we’ve had it, we’ve seen it. Make sure those sprint races are for the rookies coming through, but for the main drivers, [it’s] absolutely shambolic.”
In addition, Jordan criticized the use of DRS in Formula 1, describing it as a “false” trick. Controlled by the driver, DRS adjusts the rear wing flap to reduce drag and enhance performance on the straights. However, the former team owner believes the 13-year-old technology undermines the fairness of the sport. He said:
“DRS is fundamentally false.
“We saw an outrageous race in Brazil. Let’s assume Lando gets the jump at the start of the race.
“Lap three, he hasn’t quite broken the one-second mark, and let’s say it’s Leclerc who is close enough to him, he’s got the DRS, and he comes bounding up the hill and suddenly, bang – he’s through.
“That’s not a fight. That’s like having a boxer with one hand tied behind his back for that particular moment. It’s an unfair advantage, isn’t it?
“He hasn’t got all the facilities to be able to defend himself. I’m of the opinion, if you can’t do it fairly and squarely, why punish a good driver for just giving up a spot?
“[It is] because that stupid rule, DRS, is in play. I’m not in favour of it. I’m old-fashioned call me what you like.”
