Verstappen no fan of F1's sprint event: 'That's not really a race'

Max Verstappen has never been a fan of Formula 1's sprint events, insisting the 30-minute mad dash is first and foremost about avoiding damage and "isn't really a race".

Formula 1 trialed the Saturday afternoon grid defining event last season and opted to extend the experiment into this year, with another round of three races.

Two events were held earlier this year at Imola and Spielberg while the third and final sprint will take place next weekend at Interlagos ahead of the sport expanding the format to six venues in 2023.

But Verstappen is anything but excited about that prospect.

"Every time I do these [sprint] races, it’s about ‘don’t get damage, make sure you stay in the top three,'" he said.

"For me, that’s not really a race, because you go into the main race and you know there are way more points available anyway, you just risk a bit more there.

"You do another start, which is exciting, but it’s only really people who are out of position that move forward because only you put a tyre on that just lasts a whole stint and not much happens.

"[It's] just a little bit less exciting, but we'll still try to win it, of course,"

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While F1 believes the sprint format adds value to a Grand Prix weekend, Verstappen would much prefer that the sport stick to its traditional format, especially in light of the number of exciting races that fans have enjoyed this year.

"I don’t understand what the problem is for that, because we’ve had so many exciting races, so you don’t need to add one-third of a race distance," Verstappen said.

"Everyone is so careful anyway, because if you are fighting for third and you have a little touch and you drop to last, you know your Sunday is going to be tough.

"Probably you won’t risk it, so that’s not really a race."

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