(Motorsports news) However, no sprint plan appears to be able to persuade Red Bull’s Verstappen of its worth, despite the fact that the triple world champion is one of the format’s staunchest opponents. He claimed that despite winning three of the five sprint events staged this year, the triumphs didn’t mean much to him other than the extra points. “There’s no satisfaction in winning a sprint for me,” Verstappen remarked when asked if modifications to the sprint style would sway his opinion. “You cross the finish line and say, ‘All right, well, tomorrow is the big race,'” That’s the way it goes, Verstappen went onto say.

Sprints have been a feature in F1 from 2021, with six such races scheduled for the 2023 season. While the format has brought more competitive running, it hasn’t entirely delivered on its promise of flat-out racing, with an exhilarating sprint in Qatar followed by a depressing procession in Austin. F1 executives are already considering extreme format changes to make sprints more attractive, including reverse grids, million-dollar bonuses, and possibly a new sprint championship.

“I always ask myself, “Why do we need to strive to invent something?” I believe our product works provided you ensure that the cars are competitive and will remain the same for a long period. “They don’t change the rules in football or other sports; it’s been that way for 100 years.” Why do we feel the urge to come up with new ways to entertain ourselves?

“I think if you have a good race on your hands with cars being close to each other, then you don’t need a sprint format or weekend”, Verstappen added. In Austin, the current sprint format took teams off guard, as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton were punished for excessive floor board wear. After Friday’s solitary practice session, cars were placed in parc ferme, which meant teams could no longer adjust their ride heights to account for wear.

The disqualification came as a surprise to Leclerc, who claimed his Ferrari had “zero wear” on Friday night. “I think we should just get rid of the sprint weekend and then everyone can just set up their cars normally, because it wouldn’t have happened on a normal race weekend,” Verstappen said in a press conference.

“These things only happen on a sprint weekend when everything is rushed between FP1 and qualifying and you think to yourself, ‘Hmm, we might be okay. Once you are in the wrong, there’s nothing you can do, the only thing you can do is bump up the tyre pressures, but then you’re driving around on balloon tyres.”

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