Formula 1

Lando Norris Weighs In On Max Verstappen’s F1 Sprint Race Criticism

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has recently criticised the sprint races in this years F1 season. Now, McLaren driver Lando Norris has joined Verstappen in his claim that it doesn’t provide anything to the racing weekend.

The Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend will have the last sprint race of the season with the previous two being at Imola and Austria, both of which Verstappen won. The 2023 season will have six sprint races and this is expected to increase again for the 2024 season.

Verstappen said:

“We should just stick to one race. I don’t understand what the problem is with that. We have had so many exciting races, so you don’t need to add one-third of a race distance.

“Everyone is super-careful anyway because if you are fighting for third and you have a little touch and drop back to last, you know your race on Sunday is going to be pretty tough, so probably you are not going to risk it. That is not what a race should be about.”

Norris added to Verstappen’s claims with a similar opinion, he explained:

“Growing up, always having qualifying and then a race, that’s always what I’ve known Formula 1 to be. So in a way, I’m with Max on that.

“I love just to build up the pressure of just having qualifying and one race with nothing coming between, that’s just the structure of it. But at the correct tracks, I also don’t mind it. So when it was in Austria or Monza, tracks you can actually race on – Interlagos, reasonably. Not the easiest track for most people to race on.”

 

When reminded of Lewis Hamilton winning the Brazilian Grand Prix last year after coming last in the sprint. Norris continued:

“That’s Lewis in a Mercedes. I don’t think it’s for everyone. It’s not as simple as saying ‘Lewis did this or that’. You have to look at the whole grid, the whole field and there are obvious ones which everyone races at and can have good fun in and, if you want to put on a better show which is what the whole point of it is, then I understand it.

“But I like Formula 1 how it is, just because I’ve grown up watching that, then being part of it. Sometimes I don’t like change. I also don’t mind it.”

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