Charles Leclerc has warned that the introduction of reversed grids to Sprint races would go against the "DNA" of F1. For 2026, a total of six Sprint races have been allocated across the 24-race calendar, but there have been discussions about increasing the number to potentially 12, with a reversed grid element - akin to a standard FIA F2 or FIA F3 weekend. Reversed grids have been a topic previously discussed in F1, with Sebastian Vettel branding the idea as "bullshit" in 2019, with Lewis Hamilton adding that those proposing the change "don't really know what they are talking about." Reacting to the possibility of reversed grids being introduced, Ferrari driver Leclerc voiced his strong opposition to the idea. "It is not something that we've been speaking about so much," Leclerc told media, including RacingNews365. "Yet my personal opinion is that I think the number of Sprint races we have at the moment is good enough. "I wouldn't want to go to more than that, and the same on reverse grids, [they shouldn't happen] on a normal weekend, but why not consider them for the Sprint race? "But it is really not something I feel should be a part of Formula 1's DNA. "I think the way Formula 1 is at the moment is where I think it should stay, and we don't need to reinvent anything."
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