Max Verstappen called ‘sore loser’ as F1 champion blasts ‘boring’ format

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    Damon Hill branded Max Verstappen a ‘sore loser’ after the world champion’s latest rant against calling him a ‘d***head’. sprint format.

    This weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix is the venue for the first of six sprint races in 2023, an increase from three over the last two years. In a tweak to the format, the Saturday afternoon sprint now has its own qualifying session earlier in the day. Also, the sprint no longer sets the grid for Sunday’s main race. That was decided by Friday’s main qualifying session.

    Verstappen, who has won two of the first three grand prix this year, has been a long-time critic of the sprint system in general, and he is no happier with the latest changes.

    READ MORE: George Russell 'surprised' by Max Verstappen 'd***head' rant at Azerbaijan GP

    After finishing third in the Baku sprint, behind Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, he hit out at the format again.

    “We have to try and implement all this artificial excitement,” he moaned. “I got bored during today’s qualifying [for the sprint] to be honest. I like to have one particular qualifying where you put everything in it, which was yesterday, which I enjoyed.

    “Then you have to do it again today. It’s like, ‘oh my God, another qualifying?’ I just don’t really enjoy that.”

    What do you think about Hill and Verstappen's comments? Tell us in the comments section

    However, his comments drew scorn from 1996 world champion and Sky Sports pundit Damon Hill, who raced against Verstappen's dad Jos in the 1990s. He said sarcastically: “We should just give Max Verstappen the championship and not bother with anything else!”

    Hill added: “Sorry, that’s just sulking, a poor loser. It’s fair for everyone, it’s the same competition. He should be thinking about the championship, thinking about tomorrow, put it behind him.”

    Fellow pundit Naomi Schiff agreed. She said: “It’s harsh to say 'scrap the whole thing', there’s improvements to be done. I understand why he’s frustrated because of the position he’s in [first in the championship standings] but there are 19 other drivers on the grid who feel differently. We have to listen to the fans, the teams, there are a lot of other opinions to take into consideration.”

    When he made his comments, Verstappen had just given George Russell a piece of his mind after the pair clashed twice on the first lap, leaving a gaping hole in the Red Bull’s sidepod. The Dutchman confronted the Mercedes man straight after the race, calling him a ‘d***head’.

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