Jacques Villeneuve: "A qualifying race turns professional F1 into a game"

Teams and drivers seem to be strongly against the proposal of a reverse grid sprint race on Saturdays. Former F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve is also against the idea and thinks that if it goes ahead it will make a mockery of the sport. 

“A sprint race is funny and fun but does not belong in Formula 1," Villeneuve said to Championat.com. "It turns a professional sport into a fun game. If that's what people want, fine, but there's hardly any competition in it. I don't think you should make changes to Formula 1 just for a better show on TV. There are a number of things in racing that you should not change such as the qualification.”

The changes have been suggested to try and add more overtaking to the sport and increase the spectacle of the sport. However, Villeneuve doesn't understand why the fans complain. 

“I don't understand why people complain, the races have never been so good. Thirty years ago, Prost and Senna rode everyone around and less was caught up. Drivers needed fifteen laps to prepare for a catch-up campaign." 

The 2021 rule changes are set to radically change the sport and many hope that the cars will become better at following each other and that introducing reverse grid races won't be necessary.