“Emotions on Sunday should be special,” Max Verstappen ‘strongly opposes’ F1 Sprint format
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Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen has so far managed to win three sprint races of the five that he has taken part in, and although he has been prolific during Sprint weekends, the Dutchman is not a big fan of the new format.
Max Verstappen has further indicated that he would not be a happy chap if Sprint races become a regular part of Formula One weekends. Sprint races are set to become a regular part of Moto GP from 2023 onwards.
As things stand, the 2023 F1 season is going to stage three Sprint Races just like this year, but the reigning World Champion believes that the format should be scrapped altogether.
While stressing over the Sprint format Verstappen said, “The emotions on a Sunday should be special. That’s the only day you should be racing.”
The 24-year-old ardently believes that the Sprint races take some of the shine away from Grand Prix and feels that points should only be given on a Sunday when the actual race takes place.
Max Verstappen remains a firm non-supporter of Sprint races
The Sprint races are all set to become a fixed part of the Moto GP race events from the 2023 season onward and Max Verstappen does not want the same thing to happen in F1. He blatantly said, “I wouldn’t want that.”
Verstappen further adds, “The sprints we’ve done so far haven’t really changed anything in terms of results. Everyone starts on the same tire and finishes the sprint in the same position as they started.”
Since the Sprint race format has come into the F1 picture, it has seen quite a few crashes, and Max Verstappen feels that the risk factor is just too high and could potentially compromise the next day’s race plans of a team.
“You are afraid of crashing and then having to start at the back of the grid in the main race, where the big points are up for grabs. Everyone wants to make sure the sprint goes off without a hitch. That’s not what you want.”
The 2021 World Champion has laid out interesting points about the Sprint format and considering that F1 is looking to add more Sprint races in the future F1 calendars, it is going to be quite interesting to see how the situation will develop in the coming years.
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)