Max Verstappen has often been critical of the sprint format and explained how he does not like any changes in the format of the sport. However, when asked about the format again, he did not hold back in his criticism. Without hesitating, the Dutchman made it clear that he believed that the only reason F1 introduced the sprint format was to make more money.
In an interview with Viaplay (as quoted by racingnews365.com), the 26-year-old said, “Why does the sport suddenly have to be different? Other sports don’t change their rules all the time, either. I don’t get all that. It’s all about making as much money as possible. I don’t like it at all“.
When asked in another interview what format F1 should use for race weekends, Verstappen replied (as quoted by Luke Smith on X), “Just a normal race weekend, please, thank you. I’m not interested in any change. I don’t like it“.
Top three asked by @JBLAutosport in the press conference what changes they’d like to see for sprints next year to make them better races.
Verstappen: “Just a normal race weekend, please, thank you. I’m not interested in any change. I don’t like it.”#F1 #BrazilGP
— Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) November 4, 2023
While Verstappen may not enjoy the sprint format, it has not stopped him from dominating them. The Red Bull driver has won seven sprint races so far in his career, the most by a driver. The next most successful driver in the sprint races is Valtteri Bottas, who has just registered two wins.
Despite dominating the sprint races, the primary reason why Verstappen does not like them is because of the struggles the teams have to set up the car. With just one practice session, the Dutchman believes (as quoted by racingnews365.com) that “everything is so rushed” between FP1 and qualifying. However, it is pertinent to note that Verstappen is not the only driver who does not enjoy the current format of the sprint.
Lando Norris joins Max Verstappen in the criticism of the sprint format
Similarly to Max Verstappen, Lando Norris also explained how he has always liked the normal race weekends. However, the Briton did have one interesting suggestion. As quoted by motorsport.com, the 23-year-old said, “I like the challenge of just FP1 and then qualifying, I think it’s better. I think it’s for me more enjoyable, more of a challenge for the engineers and for us as drivers“.
Meanwhile, other drivers like Carlos Sainz believe that the way the current sprint format is designed is too revealing about how the main race is likely to pan out. The Spaniard believes (as quoted by motorsport.c0m), “I think the show is the main race, is the grand prix. So if you’ve arrived to that point, you’d better try something else on Saturday“.
Hence, he believes that F1 can instead try out reverse grids or single-lap qualifying to make the sport more interesting. However, unlike Verstappen and Norris, Sainz did state that he is open to experimenting with new formats.
Sergio Perez also had very similar remarks to Sainz. The Mexican stated (as quoted by f1maximaal.nl) that he, too, is of the opinion that the current format of the sprint race doesn’t work. Hence, F1 should try out the reverse grid format as the same could be “more interesting for the fans.”
