F1 News: Max Verstappen issues MAYHEM warning to F1 bosses

Max Verstappen, Red Bull, FIA, 2024, Social — Photo: © IMAGO

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Verstappen issues MAYHEM warning to F1 bosses

Sprint races are on the increase

Stuart Telford

Wednesday 24 April 2024 09:12

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Max Verstappen was victorious yet again at the Chinese Grand Prix, but not everything in Shanghai was to the Dutchman's liking.

Verstappen won the race nearly 14 seconds clear of McLaren's Lando Norris to open up a 25-point lead over Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez at the top of the 2024 drivers' standings.

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Driver and car have been like yin and yang in recent seasons, and the Dutchman already looks well on course for his fourth consecutive world championship just five grands prix into the season.

China hosted F1 for the first time since 2019 last weekend, and also put on the first of six sprint races this year - which, perhaps inevitably, Verstappen also won.

Verstappen (l.) thinks sprints should be curbed

Why more sprint races?

Sprint races are a 100km dash to the chequered flag that the FIA introduced four seasons ago, and are hosted on circuits that have goof overtaking potential.

It might be exciting for fans to see a mad dash for the finish rather than a longer, strategic battle, but Verstappen is worried about the rise of the concept, despite haring round the Shanghai International Circuit 13 seconds quicker than Lewis Hamilton.

F1 boss Stefano Domenicali has floated the idea of adding more sprint races to the calendar, but Verstappen doesn't think it would be a great idea.

"I'd be careful not to overdo it," he said when pressed by l'Equipe on the issue. "I suppose it boosts the TV ratings, but it adds more stress to the mechanics so let's not start thinking that we should do sprints on half of the GPs on the calendar, otherwise it'll cause mayhem."

Verstappen still has sprint races in Florida, Austria, Texas, Brazil and Qatar to come this season, and potentially more than that going forward if Domenicali gets his way.