He might be shooting for three world championships in a row and enjoying a cruisy life at the top of the grid, but Max Verstappen has threatened to quit F1 if organisers insist on messing with the ‘DNA’ of racing.
After securing pole position with his Red Bull yet again at the Australian Grand Prix, the 25-year-old Dutch superstar said he didn’t think it would be ‘worth it’ for him if F1 organisers continue to push for more sprint races.
The next race, in Azerbaijan, is set to feature the first of six sprint events for this season, amongst a host of other tinkering F1 organisers have been continually making.
There has also been talk of removing one of the free practice sessions of a Friday on race weekend and replacing it with a second qualifying session instead.
But Verstappen is having none of it.
Max Verstappen with Aussie comedian Celeste Barber after securing the pole position for the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday afternoon
Verstappen, pictured with long-term partner Kelly Piquet, said he is not a fan of all the chanegs F1 organisers are considering for an already packed schedule
The Dutch star suggested Formula One would be better off condensing the weekend and racing only on Saturdays and Sundays.
‘I’m not a fan of it (proposed changes) at all,’ a fired-up Verstappen said after securing pole position for Sunday’s race at Albert Park, ahead of the two Mercedes.
‘But also, I think when we’re going to do all that kind of stuff, the weekend becomes even more intense and we’re already doing so many races.
‘So I think that it is not the right way to go at it. I understand, of course, they want to have basically every day exciting, but then I think maybe it’s better to just reduce the weekend, only race on Saturday and Sunday and make those two days exciting.’
Verstappen, who finished first in the season opener, and second behind teammate Sergio Perez in Saudi Arabia, then sensationally declared he’d eventually quit if the changes were made, because it would not be ‘worth it’.
Verstappen does not like the idea of including more sprint races, because he says it is against the DNA of the sport
‘We’re heading into seasons where you have at one point 24 to 25 races, because that’s where we’re going to head into, and if we then start adding even more stuff, it’s not worth it for me anyway. I’m not enjoying that,’ he declared.
The Red Bull star, one of the most prodigious talents in a generation, said it wasn’t just about the hectic schedule, either.
The son of former F1 star Jos Verstappen said that the sprint format was not in F1’s ‘DNA’, and was thus wasn’t about racing skill as much.
‘For me, a sprint race is all about surviving, it’s not about racing,’ he said.
‘For me, when you have a quick car, there’s nothing to risk. I prefer to just keep my car alive and make sure that you have a good race car for Sunday.
‘And even if you change the format, I don’t find it’s the DNA of Formula 1 to do these kinds of sprint races.
‘F1 is about getting the most out of it in qualifying and then having an amazing Sunday, good long race distances.
‘That’s the DNA of the sport and I don’t understand or I don’t know why we should change that because I think the action has been good.’
Max Verstappen’s Red Bull will start the Australian Grand Prix on pole after cruising through qualifying
He says the best way to make racing more exciting is the bridge the gap between the best and worst teams on the grid
As he hunts for a inherently probably third straight Drivers Championship, Verstappen said that the best way to make racing more exciting, was to bridge the gap between those teams at the top of the grid; and those in the midfield or at the back.
‘How do you get even more action is about getting the cars closer, getting more teams able to fight for the win,’ he said.
‘And I think naturally the show will be great. If we have six, seven teams already fighting for a win, that will be insane. Then you really don’t need to change anything.’
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