Sprint races labelled 'boring' by F1 champion Max Verstappen

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen — Photo: © IMAGO

Sprint races labelled 'boring' by F1 champion

Max Verstappen is the record holder when it comes to sprint race wins

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Tuesday 13 January 2026 21:00

Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen has labelled sprint races as 'boring', despite being the all-time record holder for sprint race wins.

Verstappen has claimed 13 of 24 sprint race wins since they were introduced into F1 back in 2021, and he gained 32 points from sprint races in 2025, more than any other driver.

However, it seems Verstappen is not a fan of the shorter races, which are one-third of the full grand prix distance and take place on the Saturday of a grand prix weekend.

"Most of these unnecessary appearances on Saturday were also rather boring," Verstappen said to Blick. "But even worse: they disrupt the normal schedule for our real race on Sunday.

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"And most fans forget something: this constant activity is especially stressful for the mechanics. Most teams are already working in two shifts."

F1 sprint races

In 2026, there are also set to be six, but F1 have shaken up the events at which the sprint races will appear.

China and Miami will be sprint weekends as they have been for the last few years, while Silverstone is holding its first sprint race since the 2021 season.

On top of this, Montreal, Zandvoort and Singapore are all holding sprint races for the first time, with usual candidates Qatar and Brazil reverting back to standard race weekends in 2026.

There seems to be a conscious effort to get the sprint events done and dusted a little earlier in the season in 2026 too, with October hosting the final one in the schedule.

That is in stark comparison to 2025, when three of the six sprint weekends were held during the last six races of the year.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen