Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Max Verstappen says new sprint format could make race more chaotic

1 year ago 37

Cars caput into Turn One astatine the commencement of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix successful 2022

Max Verstappen says the caller sprint-race format volition marque the Azerbaijan Grand Prix "a small much chaotic".

The Red Bull operator said: "This way is usually rather chaotic and this volition lone marque it much chaotic."

Fernando Alonso said it was "more challenging and stressful". And Lewis Hamilton feels it is "the astir breathtaking play truthful acold this year".

The caller format, confirmed lone 2 days ago, volition beryllium utilized astatine each six of F1's 'sprint' events this year, starting successful Baku this weekend.

The cardinal alteration is that it separates retired the 'sprint' contention connected Saturday from the main expansive prix.

In the past 2 years, the sprint - a shorter contention tally to astir one-third of the region of a expansive prix - acceptable the grid for the main lawsuit connected Sunday.

Now, a Friday qualifying league sets the grid for the expansive prix, portion Saturday starts with a qualifying league - called the 'sprint shoot-out' - which sets the grid for the 'sprint' aboriginal that afternoon.

The changes besides region a signifier league connected Saturday successful which teams ran lone with contention substance loads and which had small worth arsenic a spectacle.

Alonso, who returned to F1 successful 2021 aft 2 years away, said going consecutive into qualifying connected Saturday would beryllium a caller acquisition for each the drivers.

"When I was retired of the athletics those 2 years, I was not watching the practice," Alonso said.

"They were excessively agelong and boring. So I spot the constituent of making thing antithetic connected the weekend.

"We person to clasp that and assistance f1 and hopefully the fans volition springiness america a bully feedback.

"But it is much stressful, particularly the Saturday. Friday, we are utilized to this caller format wherever we lone person 1 practice.

"But the truly antithetic happening present is Saturday. Even successful the past, doing 1 qualifying connected Friday and Saturday, similar successful 2004 oregon 2006 oregon whenever, we had ever signifier earlier qualifying.

"Now, we person breakfast, we spell successful the car, we tighten the belts and we are successful Q1. This is wholly new. It is stressful, for sure, and much hard for the drivers."

The thought down the changes is to present much jeopardy into the 'sprint' by encouraging drivers to instrumentality much risks.

The erstwhile format for sprint weekends, which were introduced successful 2021, had the Friday qualifying league mounting the grid for the sprint and the effect of the sprint establishing the grid for the main expansive prix.

That meant drivers were reluctant to instrumentality chances successful the sprint due to the fact that immoderate errors oregon accidents would disproportionately harm their chances successful the expansive prix.

The caller format received a universally lukewarm absorption from the drivers connected Thursday's media time successful Baku, though Verstappen repeated his sentiment that F1 had to beryllium cautious not to pain retired its participants with excessively overmuch racing.

"I recognize selling much tickets connected Friday and Saturday to marque each time worthy warring for," the satellite champion said.

"But erstwhile you bash 24, 25 weekends a bully enactment would beryllium to shorten a spot the weekend.

"It needs to beryllium steadfast and astatine 1 constituent you commencement questioning that and if you adhd successful the sprint weekends it makes it adjacent much busy."

Alonso and Taylor Swift?

Alonso arrives successful Baku aft a week successful which helium became an net sensation pursuing speculation successful the Spanish media that helium mightiness beryllium dating the popular prima Taylor Swift went viral.

On Monday, the Aston Martin operator nodded to the concern erstwhile helium released a abbreviated video connected TikTok, successful which helium was pictured listening to a a speeded up mentation of Swift's opus 'Karma' and winked astatine the camera.

He laughed erstwhile the taxable was brought up successful Baku and referenced different memes which person centred connected him successful caller times, including a wide absorption successful his autochthonal Spain connected '33' - his quest for a 33rd triumph aft 10 years distant from the apical measurement of the podium.

"I person been ever progressive and ironic a small spot connected societal media," Alonso said. "I retrieve successful the Ferrari days doing a batch of samurai quotes and things similar that, and we didn't person the fanbase we person now, the younger generation.

"So betwixt this and 'El Plan' and '33'… I deliberation besides the drivers person guys taking attraction of the societal media channels, truthful possibly they spot a small spot much authentic mode of doing things."

Asked whether the rumours astir an seemingly improbable narration betwixt himself and Swift were true, helium laughed again and said: "I don't comment."

Hope for McLaren

McLaren person targeted the Azerbaijan Grand Prix arsenic the commencement of their comeback aft a hard commencement to the season.

The squad admitted earlier the title started that they had missed a improvement avenue with their 2023 car and truthful would beryllium starting the play down wherever they had hoped to be.

They are introducing a large upgrade this play which is their archetypal measurement connected the improvement way opened up erstwhile they realised they had missed opportunities with the plan of the level edge.

Driver Lando Norris said: "I don't privation to get up of myself. Australia was a amended play for us. (Before that successful Bahrain and Saudi Arabia) we were unlucky and that made things look worse than they are.

"What we person present (on the car) is wherever we wanted to commencement the year. A batch of different teams person upgrades and our occupation is to effort and bring somewhat bigger things and play catch-up.

"This is the baseline we should person stared the twelvemonth with. It is much country for betterment and it is going to instrumentality america a tiny measurement guardant but with different radical bringing upgrades it volition beryllium somewhat smaller (than it would different appear)."

Listen connected Sounds banner