Verstappen doubles down on F1 Sprint criticism: ‘Get rid of them’

Max Verstappen has once again lashed out at the use of the sprint format adopted by Formula 1.

The alternative weekend schedule was introduced in 2021 with three weekends using the format during its maiden year and last season.

However for the current campaign, the number of sprint weekends was doubled to six, with the Qatar sprint race seeing Verstappen clinch his third F1 title last month.

At the recent United States Grand Prix, which was also a sprint event, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified from the race after they failed post-race technical checks.

With the plank worn below the 1mm allowance, they were thrown out of the results and blamed the lack of practice time given to teams during the weekend to properly set up their cars.

Verstappen, who was long been a critic of the sprint format, has asserted that such issues wouldn't occur if F1 stuck to its traditional schedule.

“We should just get rid of the sprint weekend and then everyone can just set up their cars normally,” Verstappen told media including RacingNews365.com.

“It wouldn't have happened that we would have had a normal race weekend.

“These things only happen when you have a sprint weekend where everything is so rushed into your in-between FP1 and qualifying.

“From our side, I think we went a bit too conservative, but that's still better than the other way.”

Verstappen criticses regulation changes

F1 has constantly evolved technical regulations throughout its history, with the latest major change coming last year.

Another rule change is set for 2026, but Verstappen has asserted that the new rules are only spreading the grid apart.

“Why do we need to try and invent something? I think our product works if you just make sure that the cars are competitive and the rules will stay the same for a long time,” said Verstappen.

Why are we always inventing new things? it almost sounds out of like craziness that ‘oh, we need to come up with something’.

“In football, they don't change the rules or in other sports. It's been like that for 100 years.

“Why do we suddenly need to come up with other things to try and make it entertaining?

“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.”