Max Verstappen has voiced his opposition to more changes being implemented into the F1 weekend format.
Verstappen has been critical of the sprint races that were introduced to the sport during his maiden title-winning season in 2021.
However, further changes could be on the way in the future with more sprint races and even reverse grids on the discussion table, according to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
Verstappen stated he understands why there is an appeal from fans for such a change, but highlighted he is not in favour of the suggestions.
“Yes, I see the positives -people are making more money,” Verstappen told media including RacingNews365.
“But for me personally, I mean, I’ve talked about it many times. You know my opinion about it.
“But I also understand why they do it, to also make it a more exciting product on the day.
“Because I can understand when fans come to the track, it’s more exciting to see cars race than just lap around in practice.
“I understand from a fan’s point of view that it can be a bit boring, but F1 has been like this since the 1950s.
“I understand sports evolve and stuff like that, but we shouldn’t go too crazy. I think a sprint race is already, from my side, crazy enough.”
Domenicali also theorised that the current races can be “too long for younger audiences”, suggesting that race lengths could be shortened.
Verstappen asserted the length of a grand prix does not need to be modified.
“How I think about sprint races, but the [current] length of the race, I think it’s fine,” he said. “Sometimes one and a half hours, sometimes closer to [two].
“In other sports as well, sometimes you have an exciting game, sometimes absolutely boring and you fall asleep. That’s sport for you.
“You can't always make it exciting, because if it’s always exciting, it becomes boring too.”
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