F1 boss risks upsetting Max Verstappen and George Russell with dramatic change to races
Max Verstappen and George Russell are united against a big change.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has revealed that he is still considering implementing reverse-grid sprint races in the near future, despite opposition from some of the sport’s biggest stars. George Russell directly condemned the idea last year, while Max Verstappen is against sprints altogether. The Formula Two and Formula Three series that feed into F1 already utilise reverse grids to provide a different dynamic and challenge in their sprint races.
In F2, for example, the top 10 drivers in qualifying have their grid positions flipped for the reduced-points event. It has been suggested that implementing this setup could improve the spectacle in F1. Despite being introduced in 2021, the jury remains out on sprints with many fans and drivers believing that they subtract from the Grand Prix on Sunday, giving away the pecking order ahead of time.
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Speaking to The Race, Domenicali revealed that there is an ongoing assessment regarding the future of sprint races in F1. "I do believe there are possibilities to extend two things, which we need to discuss, both with the drivers and the teams, and, of course, with the FIA," he explained.
"There are: can we apply that [sprints] with more races? And is this the right formula to have the possibility to have a reverse grid, as we are doing with F2 and F3? These are points of discussion.
"I think that we are getting there to be mature [enough] to make sure that this point will be tackled seriously with the teams. The vibes to progress in this direction are definitely growing, and therefore I'm ready to present and to discuss not only more sprints, but if there are new formats, new ideas."
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While this would no doubt add another element of intrigue to the current sprint format, it would frustrate some of the current drivers. When asked for his thoughts on reverse-grid races in 2023, Russell said: “If you reverse that grid, you are going to have the quickest car in 10th, trying to overtake the second quickest car in ninth, who is trying to overtake the third quickest car in eight, so each car is trying to overtake their most direct competitor.
“What you'll probably find is that it'll just be a DRS train because you might have a Williams leading from a Haas who he can't quite get past, who is leading from an Alpine who is leading from a McLaren or whoever. The concept won't work.”
Reigning world champion Verstappen opposes sprint races altogether. "Just a normal race weekend, please,” he replied in response to the reverse-grid concept. “Thank you. I'm not interested in any changes [to the format]. I just don't like it."