The first sprint race of the year in Formula 1 is being run this weekend. World champion Max Verstappen (25) wasn’t too impressed. He believed it was “artificial tension”.

The advice is clear:

– Smash them all!

The statement is reproduced by Sky Sports after teammate Sergio Pérez won Saturday’s sprint race with Charles Leclerc in 2nd and Verstappen in third.

– I think it’s important to go back to how things were and make sure that all the teams can fight for victory – instead of trying to introduce this artificial tension.

Verstappen is the favorite for his third straight WC gold, but the Dutchman has little regard for the fact that six sprint races are planned this season.

Just a few days before the race in Baku, a completely new format was also decided, meaning there was a separate qualification for the sprint race in the morning of the same day, called the “Sprint Shootout”. For Sunday’s main race there is qualifying on Friday afternoon. This is completely new to the sport of Formula 1.

– I like to have a qualification that you put it all in. It’s Friday. And when there was another qualifier on Saturday, I thought, “oh my god, another qualifier”, and I didn’t like it. I am bored.

based on F1 Insider Verstappen said:

– This is not real racing. It’s more than a lottery. In Las Vegas you have a better chance.

He also compared it to football:

– It’s good for show, but it’s like a football game: you win 1-0, then you have to play again. I think that’s a bit much.

Former Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill was not overly impressed by his statement:

– It’s just whining – a bad loser, he told Sky Sports.

– It’s the same for everyone. It’s the same competition, continued the Englishman.

However, Charles Leclerc partly agreed with Verstappen:

– I don’t want it to be standard format. Running three or four times during the season is fine. That puts more pressure on the drivers, said the Ferrari driver Spiegel.

Verstappen’s Red Bull colleague Sergio Pérez also partly agreed with Verstappen and wanted no more than four sprint races a year:

– It’s been very busy, let’s say about a weekend with two qualifiers and two races.

There are still five such weekends in 2023: Spielberg in Austria, Spa in Belgium, Doha in Qatar, Austin in the US and São Paulo in Brazil.