Max Verstappen leads calls to stop F1 bosses from copying Moto GP rules

Chris Evans says Max Verstappen needs to 'be a bit nicer'

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Max Verstappen is against the idea of holding sprint races every weekend. The motorbike series announced last week every round in 2023 will include an extra sprint race held after qualifying on Saturdays. For the first time, Formula 1 staged three of their own in Italy, Britain and Brazil last season.

The trend continued this year and two have already been held in Imola and Austria, and Sao Paulo will once again host the final sprint race of the season. Verstappen has enjoyed some success in the new format, winning both sprints in 2022 so far.

However, he is not a fan of the concept and hopes the sport does not follow in the footsteps of MotoGP. “I would not enjoy it,” he admitted. “I just don’t like it. I think that Sunday emotion and feeling should be special. That’s the only time you race. That’s how I grew up racing, anyway: Sunday is the day to race.

“Anyway, so far, from the sprint races we’ve had, not a lot has drastically changed in terms of results. More or less everyone starts on the same tyre and that’s where you finish because you are scared to have a crash or whatever because [then you] start in the back for the main race where the big coins are. Everyone is also a bit like, ‘okay, just make sure we finish the race without any trouble’. So that’s not what you want really.”

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Some of the 24-year-old’s colleagues are in agreement, with Valtteri Bottas also not wanting a calendar full of sprint events, but is keen to see the amount of practice at race weekends reduced. “I don’t think we need to have sprints every weekend,” he said. “But just less practice. 

“At the moment if I would choose sprint or not sprint I would say sprint just because immediately we’re straight into action on Friday.” AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda also isn’t convinced F1 should do the same as their MotoGP counterparts.

“I don’t think there’s a benefit to every race weekend doing sprint qualifying,” the Japanese star said. “Sprint qualifying is kind of a special thing to have rather than just doing every race weekend and that’s why sprint qualifying is fun to watch sometimes.

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“It’s not like we want to see it every time, I think. Especially [with] this busy, tight schedule. So I think we don’t have to [have] that much sprint qualifying in Formula 1.”

Verstappen has fired a warning to his F1 rivals as the sport is set to return from its summer break with the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend, a track he deems as his favourite as he bids to cinrease his elad at the top of the driver’s standings.

“It’s my favourite track so I’m looking forward to racing there this weekend,” the Dutchman said. “It looks like there might be rain around, which will make it more tricky, but luckily as a team we like a challenge.”

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