Despite winning both Sprint Races so far this season, Max Verstappen has slammed the current format by stating that due to the high risk/low reward nature of them, “not much happens”.
The 2022 champion’s comments come ahead of the upcoming third and final Sprint of the season at Interlagos.
With a maximum of eight points up for grabs in a race which is two-thirds shorter than a grand prix means that for a lot of the drivers, it is more about damage limitation rather than aggressive racing.
“Every time I do these [sprint] races, it’s about ‘don’t get damage, make sure you stay in the top three,’” the Dutchman remarked.
“For me, that’s not really a race, because you go into the main race and you know there are way more points available anyway, you just risk a bit more there.”
The Brazilian Grand Prix is the only weekend to host a Sprint Race in consecutive years, with Lewis Hamilton’s breath-taking overtaking display in 2021 taking him from the back of the grid to fifth in 24 laps.
However, the champion notes that they only provide excitement if a frontrunner starts nearer to the back.
‘You do another start, which is exciting, but it’s only really people who are out of position that move forward because only you put a tyre on that just lasts a whole stint and not much happens.’
“I don’t understand what the problem is for that because we’ve had so many exciting races, so you don’t need to add one-third of a race distance,” Verstappen continued.
“Everyone is so careful anyway because if you are fighting for third and you have a little touch and you drop to last, you know your Sunday is going to be tough.
“Probably you won’t risk it, so that’s not really a race.”
At the end of September, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali announced that a total of six Sprint Races will be held in the 2023 season after approval from the FIA.
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