Max Verstappen said he understands why Formula 1 is planning further radicalisation of its weekend schedules, but voiced his wish for fewer changes, calling Sprint Races “crazy enough”.
The topic of F1 potentially plotting a shake-up of its running order at race weekends is a notable one ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
CEO Stefano Domenicali has indicated that a myriad of options are on the table for drastic new additions, such as reverse grids in Sprint races and even the shortening of Grands Prix.
The Italian claimed that the majority of drivers are behind most of these plans, but Verstappen, a fervent F1 traditionalist, has voiced his displeasure at such ideas in the past.
Verstappen is an outspoken critic of Sprint Races, which were introduced during 2021, with the number of them increasing in the years since.
Domenicali also said that the four-time World Champion appeared more favourable of his ideas, alleging that the four-time World Champion said it “makes sense”.
But at Monza, Verstappen said that, whilst he notes the good sides to them, he is wary of changing Grand Prix formats, some of which have been in place since the very start.
“Yes, I see the positives,” he told media including Motorsport Week, quipping: “People are making more money,” adding: “But for me personally, I mean, I’ve talked about it many times.
“You know my opinion about it, but I also understand why they do it, to also make it a more exciting product.
“On the day, because I can understand when fans come to the track, it’s of course more exciting to see cars race than just lap around and practise.
“For us, it’s still very important, of course, to have practice, but I understand from a fan’s point of view that it can be a bit boring.
“But F1 has been like this since the 50s, so I understand that sports evolve and stuff like that, but we shouldn’t go too crazy. I think a Sprint Race is already, from my side, crazy enough.”
Verstappen warns: ‘You can’t always make F1 exciting’ with new things
Verstappen reiterated his dislike towards Sprint Races, and argued that, whilst a Grand Prix can sometimes be a boring affair, unentertaining things can happen in all sports.
“No. I mean, you all know, of course, how I think about Sprint Races,” he added. “But the length of the race, I think it’s fine.
“I mean, yeah, sometimes, what, one and a half hours, sometimes close to two.
“In other sports as well, sometimes you have an exciting game, sometimes absolutely boring and you fall asleep. That’s sport for you.
“You cannot always make it exciting, because if it’s always exciting, it becomes boring too, because then a lot of changes are happening, but that’s also not always how you want to see it.”
Verstappen has been the focal point in what have been deemed boring seasons due to his dominance over the past few years.
And the Dutchman made the point that if McLaren were not in F1 this season, it would be more exciting, perhaps hinting that F1 are looking in the wrong direction as to what changes can be made to make the sport more exciting.
“It always needs to be a surprise,” he reiterated. “Sometimes it can be surprisingly exciting, sometimes it can be surprisingly boring.
“So, yeah, from my side, I’m probably more of a traditional guy.
“I think it’s more important that all the teams are closer, because then you get more racing anyway.
“But in general, if you look at the season, if you take McLaren out of it, it is not too bad.
“It’s just that the following with these cars again is becoming a bit of a problem, so that’s why sometimes you are stuck again in the DRS train or whatever.”
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