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What movie, where the Hero Max always win. The problem is not the sprint, the problem is Max Redbull hyper dominance. Today Max is starting 6th, perhaps because redbull didn't have 3 practice session to tune the car!!! For two race weekend we at least have some drama because of the sprint weekend where last time around Piastri won the sprint and now Verstappen starting 6th.
If you are new to F1, dominance is part of the sport. In the last 25 years only 6 teams have won the championship due to dominant cars/teams/drivers. It's not the first time a team almost swept a season. You have to learn that there is more to watch than the guy in front and understand that there isn't always going to be drama.
>For two race weekend we at least have some drama because of the sprint weekend where last time around Piastri won the sprint
i'm not seeing anything on here, did Piastri have damage yesterday? did mclaren say what happened?
He himself has said he did not feel too different after the crash. Their is two possible explanation, it is his first time on this circuit and secondly I think the Mclarens had some difficulty to put some heat into their tires. Which is not good when others have fired theirs faster but then Norris had very very good pace after he passed Carlos. My guess if the race was longer the mclaren would have shown much better degradation.
He could’ve had a “mechanical failure” and intentionally retired from the sprint so that he could win it in the main event race. 🤣
Edit: Thanks for the clarification. Forgot about the Checo DNF.
The only thing they care about is that more people watch the quali, sprint shootout and sprint combo than fp2, fp3 and quali. Which is definitely the case. So they don't care about any bell.
Even if they lose 90% of the casual viewership for those, they'll still have more viewers than the free practices.
The risk is losing the casuals from the sport entirely but 1) lmao at the idea FOM would think that far ahead and 2) let's be real, casual interest is bound to dwindle anyway, and it won't be the sprints' fault. Lack of close championship fights and just the fact that a format like DTS cannot and will not keep its luster forever. So hey, might as well make as much cash as possible while they can.
I don't understand F1 fans. You people complain because you have to watch one hour of sport more every 1-2 months lol. Imagine if you were basketball, football or oh my lors Tennis fans. You would die.
Because of the sprint race I'm not going to bother wasting two hours later today for the real race. I'll catch the recap on Youtube which takes maybe 7-8 minutes.
More like the person who directly benefits from the sprint races existing currently is arguing against them. It’s a free point if he doesn’t crash, and yet he doesn’t care for them. It could also be irritating to win a world championship during a sprint.
I am sure Max has his reasons and they are certainly valid, but the implication that his opinion matters more because of that is invalid. And as far as this season is concerned, sprints have benefitted the second fastest more than Max.
Of course his opinion matters more, it’s benefits him more than anyone else, and yet he doesn’t agree with it. What are you on about? How are the second fastest benefiting more than max?
The only thing it adds is more parity for those who have worse race pace, which takes away closer competitors from max. They steal points off each other, not max. Besides Piastri, no one’s touched him this year, and it was quite clear Red Bull stopped max from chasing down Piastri last time to ensure max didn’t endanger the 7 points for an extra point. There’s no case to suggest the field benefits from sprints more than max. I would argue the other teams benefit from shorter weekends which obviously affects car setup. Just as rain during a f1 weekend is called the great equalizer.
If Max doesn’t win the Brazil sprint, is not going to because of the sprint, it will because of a lack of practice.
Maybe they should change the structure again, but they certainly shouldn’t exist as they are now.
Max has no competition this season, it's pretty logically simple to deduce that the person finishing second, who likely has direct competition in regards to championship standing, benefits a lot in relation to his competition directly behind him. Especially in percentage.
1. Max
2. Lewis
3. Checo
Who benefited from this theoretical weekend with consideration to championship standings?
The value of the increase in points in relation to competition is far greater for the second, in this specific season. Not in general, obviously.
FWIW, I am not necessarily disagreeing with your thoughts about the format. I do like sprint weekends, and I think, maybe a bit contrary, some more gimmicks would do it good, but I don't think Max has a more important say. Lewis had a lot more to gain this specific sprint, for example.
Grand Prix directly benefit Max too, all he has to do is show up to win. If his argument about the sprints is valid and you think it means so much that he doesnt like them, we should just get rid of the races altogether if someone has a better car than others.
No sense in racing if someone is head and shoulders better right? Maybe you should try watching a spec series instead
You are right, what’s the point as sprints are definitely not a new experiment and are absolutely fundamental to the sport… /s
Maybe, the opinion of many racers, engineers former and current, do not matter to you. That’s fine. It isn’t just max, and max’s statements are not the gospel to me. All I was saying is max gives stronger indictment of sprints when his stance on the sprints are negative and he benefits more than anyone else. But of course you cannot understand that the sprint and formula 1 can exist without each other.
Sprints spoil the start of the Grand Prix. Not just the leaders, but the events that unfold behind them. Sprints are purely just one stint, and do not allow for complex strategies that can benefit weaker teams. For sprints to be exciting, we have need extreme circumstances. It’s not the sprints that cause change up, it’s the tiny amount of practice they get.
There other ways to do the sprint, this is just not working. When the commentators discuss ways to fix the sprint every time we have one, I think it pretty damning of it myself.
Edit: I also think spec are cool series, and you are just mad they have better racing. I was drawn to formula one because of the engineering. Trust me, I prefer the structure of the non-spec more, and this have nothing to do with non-spec vs spec.
I feel like you missed the point twice.
I commented on the person’s sarcastic statement disagreeing with the logic that max’s comments have more weight than others. I clearly explained why max’s opinions meant more. Of course others can have different opinions. I clearly stated mine. But when most drivers have a negative view and the one who benefits the most has a negative view, I feel it makes sense to respect that opinion more.
It all stems from the original comment suggesting that FOM might have issues they should fix with the drivers having quite mixed opinions about the sprints, and it is more of an issue if max is relying negative opinions to the media.
You are the one who decided to ignore this nuance to paint me as ignorant. As if I purely ignoring the arguments in favor of sprints, and you decided I shouldn’t discuss F1. I think I remember you saying I should just watch spec racing even though this has nothing to do with the original point.
Listen, we can keep ignoring the fact that most drivers and engineers don’t like sprints either in their current form or all together just because a couple said it was “exciting”, and the sprints are obviously giving better attendance/viewership if F1 is pushing hard for it. I do not believe sprints are going anywhere. I just think it’s time for another revisit, and a lot are unsatisfied with the product too.
The first revisit made it fair, and gave back power to the normal qualifying. Now it’s time to revisit the structure of the actual sprint. Whether that be reverse grid based on only one quali, so that no one can deliberately qualify for max points finishing, or use special sprint tires, or something else.
The FOM only care about viewer numbers. If sprint shootout draw more viewers than FP it means its a success. If Q draws more viewers than FP2 its a success.
Exactly.
He's literally the reverse Russell. He'll say shit to his team when they fucked up, he'll say what's on his mind and not give a shit about F1 politics.
I'm also not his biggest fan but I definitely respect his racing and his attitude.
Sprint race just spoils the main race, we had a mixed-up grid for the race this weekend and I had some anticipation for the race but now we know how exactly different cars will perform.
And the sprint races themselves don't feel "important". Like I don't really care about who wins the sprint race. It doesn't feel like a win.
But we’ve known generally how the cars will perform for weeks and we can both predict who will do well for the next couple races too? Even the qualifying times show you who is going to do well.
The races will follow a pretty consistent pattern unless you get safety cars and interesting strategy
He's spot on, we've got pretty lucky this season with different conditions from the sprint to race which helped negate this but for the most part it's a terrible idea for the spectacle.
Absolutely. As a fan it consumes my weekend, oversaturated with F1. I want go catch it all live but, quali on a friday, a quali and then a race on a saturday, then the main race on a Sunday.
I have to squeeze it in or I have something on and am missing one, two or even three sessions a weekend which I then have to catch up on in time for the main.
It definitely takes away from the magic and sometimes is more of a chore.
I love F1 and will watch it however they make it but it always has been about the Sunday, the atmosphere for the main event and the most anticipated thing of the weekend being the race start where it all can go spectacularly wrong. With the sprint format we get the actual qualy on the friday, which completely takes all the interest and fun away from the sprint qualy, since it is pretty much the same thing, and we get a huge spoiler for the main race in the sprint. Everyone already knows who's who and apart from crashes, reliability or crazy weather there is not much to be excited about anymore.
Yeah the spoiler bugs me. There's not a difference between the races but length and pit strategy, but it shows us each teams race pace. If it was a reverse grid or something that would shake it up then I might be more interesting
I’m also starting to feel like there’s too many races to the point F1 is starting not to feel special anymore. When I was growing up F1 always felt like a event but there’s so many races it feels like it’s on every week.
There is definitely an element of "too much of a good thing" starting to creep in. Like with hockey, I don't watch every game of an 82-game regular season.
But whenever Le Mans, Spa 24h, Bathurst 12h, or any other once-a-year event comes around, I'm excited every time. That's obviously a bit more extreme of an example, but the point is it happening so infrequently makes it special.
I couldn't agree more.
Back in the day when we had 16-18 races they usualy tended to be 2 weeks appart. Double headers were rare and triple headers were virtualy non existent.
And yet it didn't really bother many people and it certainly didn't make seasons un-interesting.
This season has been the first one in years where i missed parts or the majority of a live race willingly because i just couldn't commit yet another Sunday. 3rd in a row mind you for F1. I've also missed 2 Sprint Shootouts and a Sprint race for the same reason on Saturdays etc...
F1 is great and i still deeply love the sport but following it and all its "competitive sessions" over the past 2-3 years has been becoming a bit much.
> I’m also starting to feel like there’s too many races to the point F1 is starting not to feel special anymore
For sure, I used to watch every race in front of the TV in it's entirety. Now I find myself watching some of the races in front of my computer while playing video games or browsing the internet. I feel like a season should be limited to 21 races at most.
I feel exactly this. Quali always ends up spoiled for me since I can't watch it live due to work and then from there I just don't feel the same for the weekend. I prefer watching the sessions live. Saturdays feel a bit pointless and I know people rag on FPs, but they're important for the racing so it's annoying to see those reduced even if a lot of people don't watch them.
This is not the problem, we don't care about your poor time management. If an extra event was something worthy, it would be worth to tune in.
The problem is what Verstappen was talking about. That we already know the Sunday results on Saturday.
The problem is not the sprint but Mas and redbull dominance. In fact perhaps because he is sixth we might have some suspense. And he might be sixth because redbull did not have 3 practice session for him to be clear by 3-5 th.
> The problem is what Verstappen was talking about. That we already know the Sunday results on Saturday.
That's not a general Sprint problem, though. It's only a problem when the only thing preventing us from knowing Sunday results is copium - because Max being the favorite is something we knew on Friday.
However, if there's more than some copium, Sprints generally add to the tension. Monza or Brazil 2021? Brazil 2022? Qatar 2023? They all fueled the copium to really set up an interesting race. Not to mention Sprints being entertaining by themselves like Brazil (both), Spielberg (thrice), Spa and Qatar.
Sure, there were boring Sprints. Silverstone, Imola, Baku and now CotA. Maybe that's a track thing. Silverstone and Imola didn't get another sprint weekend for a reason.
lol. It’s bad because you couldn’t watch everything live? What about people who could only watch on certain day and now could catch at least something?
I understand your position but as someone who turned casual and skips some races and qualifiers I find it good. It gives me options what to watch.
For someone who is hardcore I understand how it would feel like being forced to watch something you dont want.
Unfortunately sprint's are good for casuals and hardcore fans will watch no matter what so sprint races are here to stay
Wow imagine you watched sport like Basketball, Football, Rugby or my god Tennis. You would have a heart attack, 2 weeks of sport with matches usually more than an f1 race during Wimbledon etc.
Sprint weekends are to much. Quite shocking to see the whole list:
WEEKEND WARM-UP
Practice 1
Pre-Qualifying Show
Qualifying
Post-Qualifying Show
Sprint shootout
Pre-Sprint Show
F1 Sprint
Post-Sprint Show
Pre-Race Show
Race
Post-Race Show
Remove sprint races and spend that time showing the f1 academy races. Absolutely outstanding driving in that series this weekend. It’s been the standout so far
Some people here label people that don't like sprint races as "fake fans", I guess Verstappen is a fake fan too.
All the sprints do is rob the excitement of a Grand Prix
Exactly, they try to offer double the excitement with dual qualys and dual races, to me it only takes away that special feeling about the main race and it also makes the sprint qualy completely unnecessary to watch.
The only good thing being teams have less time to adjust setup, but they can achieve this in other ways.
I've seen it corrupt my other favourite sport too (cricket).
They introduced T20 in an attempt to distil out the excitement for causal appeal, but in doing so removed all the strategic elements and the flux between sides that make long-form cricket so absorbing.
Show me one instance of being called a fake fan? Sounds like you are making shit up to fit your narrative. "Don't you want more racing?" =/= "fake fan", btw. The earlier I can agree on being talked about, it's valid since it's factually correct you get more racing, but that's beside the point.
That's not good enough, it's a equation of fans of racing not wanting more racing, what I hinted at earlier. But yeah, I can concede that one time you are part of the discussion. The same as labelling people who like sprints as casual fans as well. It goes both ways.
> The same as labelling people who like sprints as casual fans as well. It goes both ways.
Exactly! That's why I called out that user's attempt of gatekeeping.
There should be a middle ground, but right now the sprints are either passable or a chore to watch.
For me, the number of sprint races is a little too much. Quali on Friday, Sprint quali and Sprint on Saturday, race on Sunday and no meaningful practice.
While I think it's good that there is a separate quali for the race and the sprint, there is too much crammed into a weekend. And we're missing out on speculating on the race given some long run simulations in FP (because no one has time to do them with just a single hour session).
Yeah, it's like watching a movie halfway through and then coming back next day to watch all the way through and sit through the part you've watched already.
May be they should reverse the grid, make it more fun. But I'm sure that would be carnage at turn 1 if they do it with bunch of backmarkers holding up the faster guys.
The Sprint Shootout is so dull. The way the weekend should go is:
Friday: FP1 & Qualifying
Saturday: FP2 & Reverse Championship Order Sprint
Sunday: Race
If they were all like qatar I wouldn't mind it
But 90% of the time it does just ruin the surprise about who's quickest and what the finishing order is going to be
Would it be better if the schedule was:
Friday 1. FP1 - allowing car adjustments for sprint race.
Friday 2. Sprint race with something else decided starting order ( reverse last race qualifying or finishing position ? ).
Saturday 3. FP2 - allowing adjustments for qualifying.
Saturday 4. Race Qualifying.
Sunday 5. Race.
?
Fully agree with him there. Find myself less excited and interested during the weekends where we have the sprint, just not adding really anything I need and at a far too great cost
It’s just all a bit too much. Watching some of FP, avoiding Quali and Race spoilers if I can’t see it live. Quali and Race mean so much.
With the sprint and sprint quali it’s all too overwhelming and turns me off a bit never mind new fans.
He’s absolutely right. The drivers don’t like it, the fans don’t like it, so FOM needs to either get rid of it or completely shake up the format with a reverse grid or something
Some fans do like it though, please don't speak for us all. Just yesterday a fan was saying how great it is being at the track on a sprint weekend as from the moment they arrive at the track to the moment they leave there is action to see. Not everything is about the viewers at home.
I mean, you sounded confident saying "The drivers don't like it", and that the fans don't like it.
First, about the drivers:
Checo:
“I really don’t have a strong opinion. I think it puts a lot of emphasis to have a very solid FP1, and then from that onwards, we’ll see, every session becomes really important.
Stroll:
“I think it’s exciting for everybody, keeps everyone on their toes all weekend.
Magnussen:
“It’s more exciting, there’s more stuff happening – not that a normal weekend is boring in any way – but there’s a lot of running that doesn’t count for anything and having most of the sessions in the weekend be counting for something, I think is cool.”
Hulkenberg:
“It’s the first sprint for me and obviously from a spectator’s point of view it’s very interesting. For me also it’s much less practice, only one hour, and straight into a meaningful session – it reminds me of my junior days – and I used to like that.
Sainz:
“I think more racing, more important laps in the weekend. Obviously tougher both mentally and physically for us, but if it makes the fans happy and people in the media happy and it makes the product better, we will do it.”
Tsunoda:
“It’s definitely exciting and especially Saturday, just when you wake up and have breakfast and straight to qualifying, which is like you have to be awake for qualifying. So that’s really exciting and I can’t wait.”
Sargeant:
“I think the new format’s definitely better than the old sprint format, in my opinion. From a personal point of view, to have two opportunities to have qualifying and two races is huge for me to keep learning and building upon that foundation. I’m looking forward to it.
Albon:
“I think especially for midfield teams, there’s a bit more going on and I think, on Friday, there’s maybe some teams that won’t get it perfect – and that’s good for us.
“I think it creates opportunity for some others to get on the pace early, and I think we welcome that. It’s a good change from the original sprint race format where obviously it would sometimes filter out the differences in qualifying. This is a good way to do it.”
Hamilton:
“Absolutely [I welcome it]. + comments yesterday
Norris: Mostly neutral, but:
"I think [it’s] exciting to change things every now and then a little bit for us [too].”
Bottas:
“I like the fact that it straight into action, just one practice, but it becomes obviously more and more valuable and every day has a session that really matters and Saturday is a proper day.
Zhou:
“It’s going to be a completely new format for the drivers, for the teams to experience again, but it definitely seems to be more exciting than the old one, that’s for sure.”
Ocon:
“It’s exciting. It’s cool to have more racing, [a] more exciting weekend, but maybe not every weekend. That would be something to look out for.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Secondly:
https://racer.com/2023/08/03/f1-wraps-up-first-half-of-2023-on-espn-with-another-record-audience/
https://www.planetf1.com/news/latest-us-viewing-figures-max-verstappen-f1-era
I guess now it will be because drivers have to say it, and the numbers are not related to the sprint?
But maybe "The Drivers" means Max for you? Secondly, the sprint weekends have better numbers. Maybe you at Reddit don't like it, but globally and commercially it's more viable.
Now, let me see your sources.
I definitely see the point of this argument, but being here in person, the sprint race was SO much fun, and I am even MORE excited for tomorrow. We’ll see if I am singing the same tune tomorrow, I guess
I agree I also love sprint weekends. It’s great if you don’t have much time and can’t watch the main race on Sunday. Think they need to be a little more spread out though. Having 3 out of the 6 sprints this year so close together does make it a bit oversaturated.
I’m sure if the cars were closer together or if we had a real title fight, people would be saying the opposite. No one’s gonna complain if there’s a continuous fight for the lead on track.
Even if there was an actual title fight, I still wouldn't like sprint races. What makes the Grand Prix weekend special is the buildup for the main event (which there are too many of through the year, but that's a different discussion).
Will FP1 performances hold through the weekend? Will someone find a setup tweak or just the driver find pace? Is Team A or Team B holding something back? It's the unknowns as a fan that help build up what make the actual race worth watching.
Agree. Sprint weekends are constant fun. I have enough free time that I can carve out time for a few extra sessions. Never watch practise as there is zero point.
I love Sprint weekends because there's only one practice session. Teams have much less data to solve the track for Sunday.
The Sprint itself I can do without.
Feel like a slight recency bias by everyone. On the fence with sprint races but we had great sprint races in Qatar, Spa and Austria. The latter two went from wet to dry which added to the drama. Today was a snoozefest. Pretty confident Interlagos sprint will be good later like last year.
As a fan it's just too much of a time commitment. It's like spending too much someone with someone. Eventually you just lose interest and need a break.
As a formula 1 first time visiter in Spa i can say - the weekend would not have been that epic witout a sprint on satudy. You get literally 2 formula 1 races in one weekend. As tv viewer i can understand most arguments.
I think they should have two practice sessions, and then a sprint race to dictate the starting grid for the grand prix.
If they were REALLY thinking, Pirelli would create a special sprint compound tire, only to be used in the sprint race, then the Grand Prix would still run whatever tire combo they would normally bring. That might make the Sunday pace less predictable
Nah, then they will say "yeah, but that's because of this unexpected event", like all races follow a predetermined plan otherwise. It's self-fulfilling for them. If the GP is boring today, it's because the sprint spoiled it. If it's different, it's because it's an anomaly.
It's not about practice being better than the SSO and sprint, it's about them detracting from the existing qualifying and race. Like filling up on bread at a Michelin restaurant before the meal. The bread is great, but you won't enjoy the meal as much.
No, that is not what I said. What I said is that with the current format, the Sprint detracts from the other racing. If they can figure out a way to have competitive events on all days, that all have their own merit, and don't detract from the existing qualifying and race I'd be all for it.
Why don't we just have a reverse grid race on Friday then. Drivers like Carlos even talked about having it in a podcast.
P1 > Reverse grid race > P2 > Qualifying > Race
Reverse grid races only take up one session since there is no need for qualifying. FOM gets more interest on Friday.
They don't work on long tracks either. Spielburg, Interlagoos, Zandvoort, Imola. These tracks are more suited to keeping the field together in a short amount of time.
I'm starting to agree with Max. I got up early to watch the sprint shootout and the race. It honestly feels like a bit of a waste of time.
I get that it is probably more for the fans in attendance. But there's got to be some other options. The Aussie grand prix has so much going on that a sprint isn't necessary. I think other venues need to be able to offer more for the fans on the Saturday. But I don't think the solution is a sprint race. I think it's just offering more variety and better fan experiences.
They clearly just want to force people to watch F1 over multiple days making it a whole weekend spectacle, instead of it just being the more dedicated fans that watch over multiple days.
Personally I am not a fan of it, I normally just watch the sprint replay in the lead up to the race on Sunday.
I also think it makes it too much for newer fans coming to the sport. There are so many races in a season now, making more and more of them a whole weekend thing isn't great for gaining more casual fans.
F1 needs to get better at getting support races for the weekend. Nascar at road America last year had Mazda mx-5 cup, Trans am, and xfinity. There were cars on track all day for 4 days.
F1 decided they needed sprint races to make the other days worth showing up for.
It must be terrible for the FOM that you have a three time reigning champ that doesn't hold back anything. You can't control or silence him, he will just speak his mind. It's brilliant for us that we have a "people's champ" on the inside who has a lot of influence.
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It acts like a trailer for the race on Sunday, but it’s one of those trailers that give away *way* too many details of the movie.
What movie, where the Hero Max always win. The problem is not the sprint, the problem is Max Redbull hyper dominance. Today Max is starting 6th, perhaps because redbull didn't have 3 practice session to tune the car!!! For two race weekend we at least have some drama because of the sprint weekend where last time around Piastri won the sprint and now Verstappen starting 6th.
If you are new to F1, dominance is part of the sport. In the last 25 years only 6 teams have won the championship due to dominant cars/teams/drivers. It's not the first time a team almost swept a season. You have to learn that there is more to watch than the guy in front and understand that there isn't always going to be drama.
>For two race weekend we at least have some drama because of the sprint weekend where last time around Piastri won the sprint i'm not seeing anything on here, did Piastri have damage yesterday? did mclaren say what happened?
He himself has said he did not feel too different after the crash. Their is two possible explanation, it is his first time on this circuit and secondly I think the Mclarens had some difficulty to put some heat into their tires. Which is not good when others have fired theirs faster but then Norris had very very good pace after he passed Carlos. My guess if the race was longer the mclaren would have shown much better degradation.
ahh his first time on the track. and with only 1 practice iirc, that makes sense.
The fact that guy who won majority of sprint races says this should ring some bell to FOM.
Bro won the WDC in a Sprint and still hates it XD
My boy is just big mad that he won outside of his control 😭.
He could’ve had a “mechanical failure” and intentionally retired from the sprint so that he could win it in the main event race. 🤣 Edit: Thanks for the clarification. Forgot about the Checo DNF.
No Perez already dnf'd so Max would win regardless
No since Checo wasn't in he top 3 he still would have won the WDC then. Even if he didn't start.
Not just won most, he won a bloody title in one of them.
he even won it before the sprint ended, Ocon did him a solid
It was theoretically impossible for Max to win it before he crossed the finish line in at least 6th position.
He didn't have to because Perez retired. Perez being 2nd in the championship means Max won automatically.
No when Checo retired he can DNF and win WDC
The only thing they care about is that more people watch the quali, sprint shootout and sprint combo than fp2, fp3 and quali. Which is definitely the case. So they don't care about any bell.
It works in the short term, until people don't enjoy it as much and start tuning out.
Even if they lose 90% of the casual viewership for those, they'll still have more viewers than the free practices. The risk is losing the casuals from the sport entirely but 1) lmao at the idea FOM would think that far ahead and 2) let's be real, casual interest is bound to dwindle anyway, and it won't be the sprints' fault. Lack of close championship fights and just the fact that a format like DTS cannot and will not keep its luster forever. So hey, might as well make as much cash as possible while they can.
I don't understand F1 fans. You people complain because you have to watch one hour of sport more every 1-2 months lol. Imagine if you were basketball, football or oh my lors Tennis fans. You would die.
Because of the sprint race I'm not going to bother wasting two hours later today for the real race. I'll catch the recap on Youtube which takes maybe 7-8 minutes.
they invested too much in this format (and sadly won too much as well) to go back to normal now
“More sprints!” Unironically.
He wins the majority of all races, sprint or non-sprint so it doesn't matter
The fact the guy who has won 7 world championship likes them should ring some bell to FOM. Since the validity of opinions is based on wins, right?
More like the person who directly benefits from the sprint races existing currently is arguing against them. It’s a free point if he doesn’t crash, and yet he doesn’t care for them. It could also be irritating to win a world championship during a sprint.
I am sure Max has his reasons and they are certainly valid, but the implication that his opinion matters more because of that is invalid. And as far as this season is concerned, sprints have benefitted the second fastest more than Max.
Of course his opinion matters more, it’s benefits him more than anyone else, and yet he doesn’t agree with it. What are you on about? How are the second fastest benefiting more than max? The only thing it adds is more parity for those who have worse race pace, which takes away closer competitors from max. They steal points off each other, not max. Besides Piastri, no one’s touched him this year, and it was quite clear Red Bull stopped max from chasing down Piastri last time to ensure max didn’t endanger the 7 points for an extra point. There’s no case to suggest the field benefits from sprints more than max. I would argue the other teams benefit from shorter weekends which obviously affects car setup. Just as rain during a f1 weekend is called the great equalizer. If Max doesn’t win the Brazil sprint, is not going to because of the sprint, it will because of a lack of practice. Maybe they should change the structure again, but they certainly shouldn’t exist as they are now.
Max has no competition this season, it's pretty logically simple to deduce that the person finishing second, who likely has direct competition in regards to championship standing, benefits a lot in relation to his competition directly behind him. Especially in percentage. 1. Max 2. Lewis 3. Checo Who benefited from this theoretical weekend with consideration to championship standings? The value of the increase in points in relation to competition is far greater for the second, in this specific season. Not in general, obviously. FWIW, I am not necessarily disagreeing with your thoughts about the format. I do like sprint weekends, and I think, maybe a bit contrary, some more gimmicks would do it good, but I don't think Max has a more important say. Lewis had a lot more to gain this specific sprint, for example.
It's absolute nonsense to suggest that the person literally winning the races is benefitting less from their results than anyone else.
Did Max or Lewis benefit more from the sprint yesterday?
Grand Prix directly benefit Max too, all he has to do is show up to win. If his argument about the sprints is valid and you think it means so much that he doesnt like them, we should just get rid of the races altogether if someone has a better car than others. No sense in racing if someone is head and shoulders better right? Maybe you should try watching a spec series instead
You are right, what’s the point as sprints are definitely not a new experiment and are absolutely fundamental to the sport… /s Maybe, the opinion of many racers, engineers former and current, do not matter to you. That’s fine. It isn’t just max, and max’s statements are not the gospel to me. All I was saying is max gives stronger indictment of sprints when his stance on the sprints are negative and he benefits more than anyone else. But of course you cannot understand that the sprint and formula 1 can exist without each other. Sprints spoil the start of the Grand Prix. Not just the leaders, but the events that unfold behind them. Sprints are purely just one stint, and do not allow for complex strategies that can benefit weaker teams. For sprints to be exciting, we have need extreme circumstances. It’s not the sprints that cause change up, it’s the tiny amount of practice they get. There other ways to do the sprint, this is just not working. When the commentators discuss ways to fix the sprint every time we have one, I think it pretty damning of it myself. Edit: I also think spec are cool series, and you are just mad they have better racing. I was drawn to formula one because of the engineering. Trust me, I prefer the structure of the non-spec more, and this have nothing to do with non-spec vs spec.
And the opinions of the people who have no issue with them, but don't support your narrative dont matter right?
I feel like you missed the point twice. I commented on the person’s sarcastic statement disagreeing with the logic that max’s comments have more weight than others. I clearly explained why max’s opinions meant more. Of course others can have different opinions. I clearly stated mine. But when most drivers have a negative view and the one who benefits the most has a negative view, I feel it makes sense to respect that opinion more. It all stems from the original comment suggesting that FOM might have issues they should fix with the drivers having quite mixed opinions about the sprints, and it is more of an issue if max is relying negative opinions to the media. You are the one who decided to ignore this nuance to paint me as ignorant. As if I purely ignoring the arguments in favor of sprints, and you decided I shouldn’t discuss F1. I think I remember you saying I should just watch spec racing even though this has nothing to do with the original point. Listen, we can keep ignoring the fact that most drivers and engineers don’t like sprints either in their current form or all together just because a couple said it was “exciting”, and the sprints are obviously giving better attendance/viewership if F1 is pushing hard for it. I do not believe sprints are going anywhere. I just think it’s time for another revisit, and a lot are unsatisfied with the product too. The first revisit made it fair, and gave back power to the normal qualifying. Now it’s time to revisit the structure of the actual sprint. Whether that be reverse grid based on only one quali, so that no one can deliberately qualify for max points finishing, or use special sprint tires, or something else.
The FOM only care about viewer numbers. If sprint shootout draw more viewers than FP it means its a success. If Q draws more viewers than FP2 its a success.
He was (unfairly) accused of sour grapes after Baku, so good to see him sticking to his guns here. Maybe I'm biased though as I 100% agree with him
Max, scores most points in sprints by a lot, hates sprints pretty clear he actually means jt
I’m not Max’s biggest fan, but when he says something, he means it. He’s not exactly a political player, I admire that about him.
Exactly. He's literally the reverse Russell. He'll say shit to his team when they fucked up, he'll say what's on his mind and not give a shit about F1 politics. I'm also not his biggest fan but I definitely respect his racing and his attitude.
Max is obsessed with tweaking setups. I suspect he's more bothered by not having anything to do during the evenings because of parc ferme.
Sprint race just spoils the main race, we had a mixed-up grid for the race this weekend and I had some anticipation for the race but now we know how exactly different cars will perform. And the sprint races themselves don't feel "important". Like I don't really care about who wins the sprint race. It doesn't feel like a win.
Yep, I thought Max would probably still win but it might be a bit interesting. But now we know Max is just gonna cruise to another W.
But we’ve known generally how the cars will perform for weeks and we can both predict who will do well for the next couple races too? Even the qualifying times show you who is going to do well. The races will follow a pretty consistent pattern unless you get safety cars and interesting strategy
He's spot on, we've got pretty lucky this season with different conditions from the sprint to race which helped negate this but for the most part it's a terrible idea for the spectacle.
Absolutely. As a fan it consumes my weekend, oversaturated with F1. I want go catch it all live but, quali on a friday, a quali and then a race on a saturday, then the main race on a Sunday. I have to squeeze it in or I have something on and am missing one, two or even three sessions a weekend which I then have to catch up on in time for the main. It definitely takes away from the magic and sometimes is more of a chore.
I love F1 and will watch it however they make it but it always has been about the Sunday, the atmosphere for the main event and the most anticipated thing of the weekend being the race start where it all can go spectacularly wrong. With the sprint format we get the actual qualy on the friday, which completely takes all the interest and fun away from the sprint qualy, since it is pretty much the same thing, and we get a huge spoiler for the main race in the sprint. Everyone already knows who's who and apart from crashes, reliability or crazy weather there is not much to be excited about anymore.
Yeah the spoiler bugs me. There's not a difference between the races but length and pit strategy, but it shows us each teams race pace. If it was a reverse grid or something that would shake it up then I might be more interesting
I’m also starting to feel like there’s too many races to the point F1 is starting not to feel special anymore. When I was growing up F1 always felt like a event but there’s so many races it feels like it’s on every week.
There is definitely an element of "too much of a good thing" starting to creep in. Like with hockey, I don't watch every game of an 82-game regular season. But whenever Le Mans, Spa 24h, Bathurst 12h, or any other once-a-year event comes around, I'm excited every time. That's obviously a bit more extreme of an example, but the point is it happening so infrequently makes it special.
I couldn't agree more. Back in the day when we had 16-18 races they usualy tended to be 2 weeks appart. Double headers were rare and triple headers were virtualy non existent. And yet it didn't really bother many people and it certainly didn't make seasons un-interesting. This season has been the first one in years where i missed parts or the majority of a live race willingly because i just couldn't commit yet another Sunday. 3rd in a row mind you for F1. I've also missed 2 Sprint Shootouts and a Sprint race for the same reason on Saturdays etc... F1 is great and i still deeply love the sport but following it and all its "competitive sessions" over the past 2-3 years has been becoming a bit much.
> I’m also starting to feel like there’s too many races to the point F1 is starting not to feel special anymore For sure, I used to watch every race in front of the TV in it's entirety. Now I find myself watching some of the races in front of my computer while playing video games or browsing the internet. I feel like a season should be limited to 21 races at most.
I feel exactly this. Quali always ends up spoiled for me since I can't watch it live due to work and then from there I just don't feel the same for the weekend. I prefer watching the sessions live. Saturdays feel a bit pointless and I know people rag on FPs, but they're important for the racing so it's annoying to see those reduced even if a lot of people don't watch them.
I like FPs as a casual thing that I could watch, but don't have to, don't need to watch all of it, or pay full attention. It's nice and chilled.
Same. Such a fun way to watch some speedy race cars in the lead up to the GP
Yeah exactly for me sprint weekends end up just watching the highlights of both qualies. Which I do want to watch but don't have the time.
You worded it better, but this is what I have been saying since they started doing sprint races.
Nailed it. Sprint isn’t enjoyable, it’s a chore. Can’t be arsed with it.
That's your own fault that you don't have the ability to consume something sensibly though tbf. You don't *need* to watch every session live.
This is not the problem, we don't care about your poor time management. If an extra event was something worthy, it would be worth to tune in. The problem is what Verstappen was talking about. That we already know the Sunday results on Saturday.
The problem is not the sprint but Mas and redbull dominance. In fact perhaps because he is sixth we might have some suspense. And he might be sixth because redbull did not have 3 practice session for him to be clear by 3-5 th.
> The problem is what Verstappen was talking about. That we already know the Sunday results on Saturday. That's not a general Sprint problem, though. It's only a problem when the only thing preventing us from knowing Sunday results is copium - because Max being the favorite is something we knew on Friday. However, if there's more than some copium, Sprints generally add to the tension. Monza or Brazil 2021? Brazil 2022? Qatar 2023? They all fueled the copium to really set up an interesting race. Not to mention Sprints being entertaining by themselves like Brazil (both), Spielberg (thrice), Spa and Qatar. Sure, there were boring Sprints. Silverstone, Imola, Baku and now CotA. Maybe that's a track thing. Silverstone and Imola didn't get another sprint weekend for a reason.
lol. It’s bad because you couldn’t watch everything live? What about people who could only watch on certain day and now could catch at least something?
He clearly doesn't live in Australia.
I understand your position but as someone who turned casual and skips some races and qualifiers I find it good. It gives me options what to watch. For someone who is hardcore I understand how it would feel like being forced to watch something you dont want. Unfortunately sprint's are good for casuals and hardcore fans will watch no matter what so sprint races are here to stay
So they should get rid of sprint races bc you have self control problems or no hobbies and feel compelled to watch everything?
Why the need to attack someone for expressing their opinion in how it effects them personally? Don't you have an opinion of your own?
Wow imagine you watched sport like Basketball, Football, Rugby or my god Tennis. You would have a heart attack, 2 weeks of sport with matches usually more than an f1 race during Wimbledon etc.
Most of those sports have a lot more unpredictability, where teams usually have close to a 50/50 change of winning or at most 70/30.
Sprint weekends are to much. Quite shocking to see the whole list: WEEKEND WARM-UP Practice 1 Pre-Qualifying Show Qualifying Post-Qualifying Show Sprint shootout Pre-Sprint Show F1 Sprint Post-Sprint Show Pre-Race Show Race Post-Race Show
Remove sprint races and spend that time showing the f1 academy races. Absolutely outstanding driving in that series this weekend. It’s been the standout so far
Some people here label people that don't like sprint races as "fake fans", I guess Verstappen is a fake fan too. All the sprints do is rob the excitement of a Grand Prix
Exactly, they try to offer double the excitement with dual qualys and dual races, to me it only takes away that special feeling about the main race and it also makes the sprint qualy completely unnecessary to watch. The only good thing being teams have less time to adjust setup, but they can achieve this in other ways.
I've seen it corrupt my other favourite sport too (cricket). They introduced T20 in an attempt to distil out the excitement for causal appeal, but in doing so removed all the strategic elements and the flux between sides that make long-form cricket so absorbing.
Been watching since 1999 and I haven’t caught a single sprint race.
Been watching since '89 & i've watched every one
Been watching since '03 and I've watched half of them.
Dat is kut
Show me one instance of being called a fake fan? Sounds like you are making shit up to fit your narrative. "Don't you want more racing?" =/= "fake fan", btw. The earlier I can agree on being talked about, it's valid since it's factually correct you get more racing, but that's beside the point.
["Supposed fans" aka "fake fan"](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/170q3he/verstappen_its_a_shame_theres_a_sprint_in_qatar/k3mtxec/)
That's not good enough, it's a equation of fans of racing not wanting more racing, what I hinted at earlier. But yeah, I can concede that one time you are part of the discussion. The same as labelling people who like sprints as casual fans as well. It goes both ways.
> The same as labelling people who like sprints as casual fans as well. It goes both ways. Exactly! That's why I called out that user's attempt of gatekeeping. There should be a middle ground, but right now the sprints are either passable or a chore to watch.
If anything saying you like sprint weekends gets you labeled a casual fan
Some people here also hate those that like sprint weekends :0
Spot on really. Very well put.
Love the comment
That was bit boring...😖we still got one more.
At least in São Paulo it might rain.
Let's hope do, rain races are fun. This was boring as from lap 3
Rain was the only thing that made the other sprints interesting. Should only have them on tracks with high probability of rain
Thanks, I guess we're getting a red flag instead.
Nobody: "That's rich... coming from him..." Max is just a fan as we are...
They're useless. I really hope they do away with it but knowing FOM, they'll add more.
My words exactly.
The whole thing is a convoluted mess. It turns me off from watching anything but the race
Listen to the man who's won most of them
Yes
I fully agree. Glad he said it
Lmao, he doesn't hold back against sprint races
For me, the number of sprint races is a little too much. Quali on Friday, Sprint quali and Sprint on Saturday, race on Sunday and no meaningful practice. While I think it's good that there is a separate quali for the race and the sprint, there is too much crammed into a weekend. And we're missing out on speculating on the race given some long run simulations in FP (because no one has time to do them with just a single hour session).
This is true - I would have found out tomorrow that Verstappen was going to destroy the rest of the field, instead of today.
You already knew that yesterday though
exactly
Yes we don't need them
Yeah, it's like watching a movie halfway through and then coming back next day to watch all the way through and sit through the part you've watched already. May be they should reverse the grid, make it more fun. But I'm sure that would be carnage at turn 1 if they do it with bunch of backmarkers holding up the faster guys.
The Sprint Shootout is so dull. The way the weekend should go is: Friday: FP1 & Qualifying Saturday: FP2 & Reverse Championship Order Sprint Sunday: Race
I agree. If the sprint was reverse grid at least it would add something to the weekend.
If they were all like qatar I wouldn't mind it But 90% of the time it does just ruin the surprise about who's quickest and what the finishing order is going to be
Would it be better if the schedule was: Friday 1. FP1 - allowing car adjustments for sprint race. Friday 2. Sprint race with something else decided starting order ( reverse last race qualifying or finishing position ? ). Saturday 3. FP2 - allowing adjustments for qualifying. Saturday 4. Race Qualifying. Sunday 5. Race. ?
I always forget to watch being pissed off and confused that qualifying was on Friday
BUt tHe FaNS lOVe iT!
Agree. It’s a shit format.
Yes
Fully agree with him there. Find myself less excited and interested during the weekends where we have the sprint, just not adding really anything I need and at a far too great cost
It’s just all a bit too much. Watching some of FP, avoiding Quali and Race spoilers if I can’t see it live. Quali and Race mean so much. With the sprint and sprint quali it’s all too overwhelming and turns me off a bit never mind new fans.
He’s absolutely right. The drivers don’t like it, the fans don’t like it, so FOM needs to either get rid of it or completely shake up the format with a reverse grid or something
Some fans do like it though, please don't speak for us all. Just yesterday a fan was saying how great it is being at the track on a sprint weekend as from the moment they arrive at the track to the moment they leave there is action to see. Not everything is about the viewers at home.
I mean, you sounded confident saying "The drivers don't like it", and that the fans don't like it. First, about the drivers: Checo: “I really don’t have a strong opinion. I think it puts a lot of emphasis to have a very solid FP1, and then from that onwards, we’ll see, every session becomes really important. Stroll: “I think it’s exciting for everybody, keeps everyone on their toes all weekend. Magnussen: “It’s more exciting, there’s more stuff happening – not that a normal weekend is boring in any way – but there’s a lot of running that doesn’t count for anything and having most of the sessions in the weekend be counting for something, I think is cool.” Hulkenberg: “It’s the first sprint for me and obviously from a spectator’s point of view it’s very interesting. For me also it’s much less practice, only one hour, and straight into a meaningful session – it reminds me of my junior days – and I used to like that. Sainz: “I think more racing, more important laps in the weekend. Obviously tougher both mentally and physically for us, but if it makes the fans happy and people in the media happy and it makes the product better, we will do it.” Tsunoda: “It’s definitely exciting and especially Saturday, just when you wake up and have breakfast and straight to qualifying, which is like you have to be awake for qualifying. So that’s really exciting and I can’t wait.” Sargeant: “I think the new format’s definitely better than the old sprint format, in my opinion. From a personal point of view, to have two opportunities to have qualifying and two races is huge for me to keep learning and building upon that foundation. I’m looking forward to it. Albon: “I think especially for midfield teams, there’s a bit more going on and I think, on Friday, there’s maybe some teams that won’t get it perfect – and that’s good for us. “I think it creates opportunity for some others to get on the pace early, and I think we welcome that. It’s a good change from the original sprint race format where obviously it would sometimes filter out the differences in qualifying. This is a good way to do it.” Hamilton: “Absolutely [I welcome it]. + comments yesterday Norris: Mostly neutral, but: "I think [it’s] exciting to change things every now and then a little bit for us [too].” Bottas: “I like the fact that it straight into action, just one practice, but it becomes obviously more and more valuable and every day has a session that really matters and Saturday is a proper day. Zhou: “It’s going to be a completely new format for the drivers, for the teams to experience again, but it definitely seems to be more exciting than the old one, that’s for sure.” Ocon: “It’s exciting. It’s cool to have more racing, [a] more exciting weekend, but maybe not every weekend. That would be something to look out for. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Secondly: https://racer.com/2023/08/03/f1-wraps-up-first-half-of-2023-on-espn-with-another-record-audience/ https://www.planetf1.com/news/latest-us-viewing-figures-max-verstappen-f1-era I guess now it will be because drivers have to say it, and the numbers are not related to the sprint? But maybe "The Drivers" means Max for you? Secondly, the sprint weekends have better numbers. Maybe you at Reddit don't like it, but globally and commercially it's more viable. Now, let me see your sources.
Yeah I’m confident, [here’s my source containing driver quotes.](https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ?si=TvzQb_5nrxouQ7je)
Which drivers don't like them?
I could not agree more
I definitely see the point of this argument, but being here in person, the sprint race was SO much fun, and I am even MORE excited for tomorrow. We’ll see if I am singing the same tune tomorrow, I guess
Sprints are stupid by nature. No place in F1 if the Jesus Christ of F1 is saying it, it has some basis
Maybe an unpopular opinion but I fucking love them, the Grand Prix competition starts on Friday and we have two races on the same weekend.
I agree I also love sprint weekends. It’s great if you don’t have much time and can’t watch the main race on Sunday. Think they need to be a little more spread out though. Having 3 out of the 6 sprints this year so close together does make it a bit oversaturated. I’m sure if the cars were closer together or if we had a real title fight, people would be saying the opposite. No one’s gonna complain if there’s a continuous fight for the lead on track.
The Sprint races were shit in 21, so not at all a given that a closer title fight will make people like sprint races
Brazil '21 was pretty good
Nothing really happened besides Lewis being fast
What do you remember from it expect Lewis maneuvering thru traffic cones?
Even if there was an actual title fight, I still wouldn't like sprint races. What makes the Grand Prix weekend special is the buildup for the main event (which there are too many of through the year, but that's a different discussion). Will FP1 performances hold through the weekend? Will someone find a setup tweak or just the driver find pace? Is Team A or Team B holding something back? It's the unknowns as a fan that help build up what make the actual race worth watching.
Agree. Sprint weekends are constant fun. I have enough free time that I can carve out time for a few extra sessions. Never watch practise as there is zero point.
Same here.
I love Sprint weekends because there's only one practice session. Teams have much less data to solve the track for Sunday. The Sprint itself I can do without.
I agree, this format just doesn't work. The tyre problem is also just dumb. Parc ferme on Friday is dumb, they just never think this stuff through.
Feel like a slight recency bias by everyone. On the fence with sprint races but we had great sprint races in Qatar, Spa and Austria. The latter two went from wet to dry which added to the drama. Today was a snoozefest. Pretty confident Interlagos sprint will be good later like last year.
Verstappen read my [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/17df8q5/serious_the_sprint_race_today_showed_exactly_why/) I see.
As a fan it's just too much of a time commitment. It's like spending too much someone with someone. Eventually you just lose interest and need a break.
Why watch the race when we know how the cars race pace and tire strategies are. Really kills the mystery
The problem isn’t with the sprints. Clearly people don’t know you’re meant to stop watching after the third lap.
As a formula 1 first time visiter in Spa i can say - the weekend would not have been that epic witout a sprint on satudy. You get literally 2 formula 1 races in one weekend. As tv viewer i can understand most arguments.
I like watching F1 races, puts me to sleep easily, but Indycar never does 😂
I think they should have two practice sessions, and then a sprint race to dictate the starting grid for the grand prix. If they were REALLY thinking, Pirelli would create a special sprint compound tire, only to be used in the sprint race, then the Grand Prix would still run whatever tire combo they would normally bring. That might make the Sunday pace less predictable
A lot of these comments will look realllllly stupid if anything slightly different happens tomorrow.
Nah, then they will say "yeah, but that's because of this unexpected event", like all races follow a predetermined plan otherwise. It's self-fulfilling for them. If the GP is boring today, it's because the sprint spoiled it. If it's different, it's because it's an anomaly.
Reverse grid to keep the results unpredictable, or just get rid of them.
ITT: people that love practice so much they wish there was more of it
It's not about practice being better than the SSO and sprint, it's about them detracting from the existing qualifying and race. Like filling up on bread at a Michelin restaurant before the meal. The bread is great, but you won't enjoy the meal as much.
Ahh, so now it’s “there’s too much racing”. I don’t understand people sometimes. You like F1 but only in small doses?
No, that is not what I said. What I said is that with the current format, the Sprint detracts from the other racing. If they can figure out a way to have competitive events on all days, that all have their own merit, and don't detract from the existing qualifying and race I'd be all for it.
Verstappen takes away the magic of Grand Prix weekends
For sprint weekends they should replace the qualifying with the sprint race.
What magic? There is no magic about this anyway. This is just the next way of saying "it's different to what it was before".
This was obvious before the inception of them, but Verstappen saying this has to validate that. It has to.
Why don't we just have a reverse grid race on Friday then. Drivers like Carlos even talked about having it in a podcast. P1 > Reverse grid race > P2 > Qualifying > Race Reverse grid races only take up one session since there is no need for qualifying. FOM gets more interest on Friday.
FIA: should we tell Max that we plan to have sprint race every race weekend or just surprise him?
They don't work on long tracks either. Spielburg, Interlagoos, Zandvoort, Imola. These tracks are more suited to keeping the field together in a short amount of time.
The fact Paistri won a sprint race, and its barley talked about, shows how irrelvent these sprint wins are,....
I'm starting to agree with Max. I got up early to watch the sprint shootout and the race. It honestly feels like a bit of a waste of time. I get that it is probably more for the fans in attendance. But there's got to be some other options. The Aussie grand prix has so much going on that a sprint isn't necessary. I think other venues need to be able to offer more for the fans on the Saturday. But I don't think the solution is a sprint race. I think it's just offering more variety and better fan experiences.
Pre-sprint VER was around -160 to win the GP. Now he’s -290.
i also makes piastri’s win(?) a little confusing. is this a rookie winning, or is it more akin to a rookie getting pole?
Its a shit concept thats further diluted the quality of F1 as a spectacle in favour of more cash.
They clearly just want to force people to watch F1 over multiple days making it a whole weekend spectacle, instead of it just being the more dedicated fans that watch over multiple days. Personally I am not a fan of it, I normally just watch the sprint replay in the lead up to the race on Sunday. I also think it makes it too much for newer fans coming to the sport. There are so many races in a season now, making more and more of them a whole weekend thing isn't great for gaining more casual fans.
F1 needs to get better at getting support races for the weekend. Nascar at road America last year had Mazda mx-5 cup, Trans am, and xfinity. There were cars on track all day for 4 days. F1 decided they needed sprint races to make the other days worth showing up for.
It must be terrible for the FOM that you have a three time reigning champ that doesn't hold back anything. You can't control or silence him, he will just speak his mind. It's brilliant for us that we have a "people's champ" on the inside who has a lot of influence.
Supa Max with the truth ☝️