Max Verstappen was joined by his former Red Bull teammate Alex Albon in calling out the new Sprint format this weekend. The Williams driver called the new Sprint a “sh*t format” after losing out on points.
Despite starting the week well, the Thai driver was left with agony as he failed to give his team the taste of a point finish after losing out to Stroll in the end. The former Red Bull man finished the race in P9 despite starting the race in P7.
Alex Albon on radio after crossing the finish line: “Well this is such a shit format. Top 8 are the top 4 teams. It’s boring.” cook!!😭
— leo🐋 (@albonscar) April 29, 2023
Albon also called the format “boring” after crossing the finish line. He conveyed these words on his radio as there were the four top teams in the top eight of the Sprint. Admittedly, Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, and Aston Martin were the teams in the top eight, as they are also in the constructors’ championship.
Furthermore, the Sprint format only gives away points to the top eight drivers. The driver who wins the Sprint gets a maximum of eight points, followed by one point reduction till P8. His criticism came in sync with Verstappen, who didn’t enjoy the new introduction in Baku as well.
Max Verstappen asked for the format to be scrapped
The two-time world champion has been the loudest voice against introducing the new format this weekend. The Dutchman even threatened to leave the sport if the governing body kept on adding new events like this.
However, as the defending champion took part in the event, he was not impressed. After the Sprint Shootout got over, he immediately called out the new format and shared that the event was “terrible.”
Max Verstappen’s verdict on F1’s new format: “Scrap the whole thing.”
— Philip Duncan (@PhilDuncanF1) April 29, 2023
Despite the dislike, he took part in the Sprint race but was unsatisfied with the end result. As per PA Media man Philip Duncan, Verstappen was unhappy about the new “artificial” introduction and wanted the whole thing to be scrapped.
Damon Hill blasts the Dutchman over his comments
The comments on the newly introduced Sprint Shootout haven’t gone down well with Damon Hill. The 1996 F1 world champion has hit out at the 25-year-old following his criticism of the format.
As per Motorsport Week, The Sky Sports pundit jabbed that Verstappen be given the world championship without bothering about anything else. Hill also called the Red Bull star a “poor loser” following the comments.
The Dutchman endured a difficult Sprint race after the Lap 1 tangle with Mercedes’ George Russell. The contact with the W-14 punched a massive hole in the sidepod of the RB-19, which resulted in significant time loss.
