Verstappen and Alonso differ on merits of Sprint race

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Max Verstappen still isn't a fan of F1's sprint races despite winning Imola's 21-lap dash on Saturday, but Fernando Alonso believes the format spices up the weekend for the sport's fans.

Verstappen was left chasing his principal adversary yesterday, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, following his slow launch off the grid.

Leclerc took a commanding which he held until the final stages of the sprint when tyre degradation allowed Verstappen to reel in the Monegasque and then to overhaul him with two laps to go.

While the fans were enthralled with the duel, victory wasn't enough to reverse the Red Bull driver's opinion of F1's Sprint format.

"No, it doesn't for me," he said. "I'm still not a fan of sprint races because in the end it doesn't change anything.

"It doesn't matter if you have such a good fight during the sprint race or during the actual race. I just like the way the whole weekend goes much better with a normal weekend schedule."

Read also: Brawn pushing for six-race sprint schedule for 2023

Alonso admitted that he hadn't taken much joy in the 30-minute mad dash, having been unable to hold his own after qualifying P5 against the likes of Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz.

"I mean, there is no race at the moment there," said the Alpine driver who finished ninth.

"It’s like fighting with Lewis last year or Verstappen. They start last and they finish in the podium still, so there is not much to fight.

"I lost every battle that I was in."

However, putting himself alongside the fans in the grandstands, Alonso reckons that Friday qualifying is more entertaining than a "boring" practice session.

"I think the fans enjoyed today," he said; "If I was at home and I put the TV, I saw something better than a free practice or anything else. So I think that’s a positive thing.

"Tomorrow, maybe everything changes and people that recover a lot of places today, Perez or Sainz, they touch in the first corner and they are in the gravel and it’s a dramatic change.

"So I think it’s part of the show."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.