Max Verstappen called Formula 1’s latest change to its sprint event format an improvement, though he still has little enthusiasm for the short races.
F1 has altered the structure of its sprint format every year since it was introduced in 2021. The latest revision is to the order in which the sessions take place.
Under the new arrangement, qualifying for the grand prix will always be the last F1 track action on Saturdays, as was the case before the sprint format was introduced. The sprint races will be held beforehand, meaning they will take place in the morning at some rounds.
Verstappen said the revised order has “a bit more logic” now. However the driver who has won more sprint races than anyone else added “for me, I don’t get more excited by winning a sprint or fighting for these kind of races,” he told media including RaceFans at the team’s launch event.
F1’s parc ferme restrictions have also been revised, giving teams greater freedom to adjust their cars during sprint race weekends than last year. Verstappen praised that change.
“That’s a bit better,” he said. “Sometimes you get stuck and you know that your weekend is ruined and you know you can’t really change anything. So for sure it will help.
Alpine driver Pierre Gasly called the parc ferme change a “great” move.
“I think that was missing, definitely,” he said. “We ended up last year having amazing, brilliant genius guys on a Friday afternoon being forbidden to touch anything on our car. And that’s what they are paid for, that’s why they are the best.”
The previous sprint weekend arrangement left teams too little time to improve their cars, said Gasly.
“It was a bit sad because they have much more to bring to the table than just one or two clicks of front [wing] flap and tyre pressure. I think F1 is the top of engineering and I think it’s great we still give them the opportunity to always do these continuous improvements through the weekend.”
“You [didn’t] have time to try anything because you have one hour practice, you’re quite limited,” he added. “So it was always like try to do the work in the simulator and if you realise you didn’t start the weekend with the best set-up your window to react was extremely small. I just thought it was definitely the right change.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Formula 1
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at RaceFans…