Verstappen stands alone: Drivers express support for new sprint race plans

Several drivers have expressed their support for the new plans for the sprint weekend. Asked by Autosport, five of the drivers expressed their support for the plans, with the sprint race no longer determining the starting grid for the Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen is far from thrilled with the new plans for the sprint race format, but it looks more and more like the reigning world champion is on his own in the paddock. At least eight out of ten team bosses have already agreed to the proposal, with the FIA also behind the plans. Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko even revealed that Red Bull was, in part, the instigator of these plans last year by making a second sprint qualifier a requirement. And now several of the drivers have also changed tack.

Drivers from Ferrari and others are behind the plan

Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton previously indicated that they are broadly open to changes to the sprint weekend and that one should not be afraid of change. Some of their fellow drivers have now gone a step further by explicitly voicing their support for the format.

According to Nico Hulkenberg, the new format is a good way to replace the otherwise useless practice session on Saturday morning. Valtteri Bottas sees opportunities to take more risks in the sprint race, an idea also supported by Nyck de Vries. " I think it's good that they distinguish the sprint race result from the starting grid of the Grand Prix because that is actually not incentivising racing, especially people in front don't want to take risks," De Vries explained.

Charles Leclerc also agrees with the new set-up, as he believes it removes the risk of the whole weekend being doomed if something goes wrong in the sprint race. His teammate Carlos Sainz also fully agrees: "It is the direction that we asked the F1 and FIA to go if they want a better show. They asked us, and we said we need the sprint not to count for the Grand Prix grid."