Red Bull’s double-time world champion, Max Verstappen, has threatened to leave Formula One if the racing discipline makes too many changes around race weekends.
The world champion, who won the pole position for the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, spoke in light of speculation in the Melbourne paddocks about a possible change to the Sprint format.
What changes are the F1 authority proposing?
Sprint weekends may see an additional qualifying practice introduced as a result of the adjustments.
The three-round structure debuted in 2021 and has been increased to six this year, with the first implementation taking place in Baku at the end of this month. Friday’s qualification currently sets the grid for Saturday’s dash. The outcome of the run determines the starting position for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
However, extra qualifying practice for the sprint may now be added to Saturday’s schedule. The qualifying results from Friday would then determine the beginning sequence for Sunday’s main event. The format change could be implemented as early as the next round in Baku, with a casual gathering of the grid’s key participants scheduled for Melbourne before Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix.
What did Max Verstappen say about the changes?
Max Verstappen had something to say about the changes, “I hope there won’t be too many changes, otherwise I won’t be around for too long.”
He talked about how it makes the weekends very tough, “I am not a fan of it at all. When we do all that kind of stuff, the weekend becomes very intense, and we already do a lot of races. But it is not the right way to go about it.”
“I understand they want to make every day at the track exciting, but they should reduce the weekend, and only race on Saturday and Sunday and make those two days exciting.”
“We are heading into seasons where we could have 24 or 25 races and if you then start adding more it is not worth it for me. I will not enjoy that.”
Not all of Verstappen’s competitors agree with him. Both Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who classified second and third at the Albert Park Circuit, advocated for more sprints. These races have unquestionably increased the level of enthusiasm since their debut at Silverstone two years ago.
