Drivers looking forward to second sprint race of the season

Max Verstappen had the scoop this year as the first Formula 1 driver ever to win a sprint race. On the Silverstone circuit, the Dutchman crossed the finish line first on Saturday, after having to settle for second place behind Lewis Hamilton during qualifying on Friday. The sprint race concept has had its pros and cons, but many drivers are eagerly awaiting the second sprint race of the season in Monza.

Better than watching free practice

Lando Norris for example: "I had a lot of fun on Friday. To be in qualifying after just one practice session is pretty cool. It is also a test. Not only for us as drivers, but also for the engineers. We have to do everything faster and we don't have the whole day and night to perfect everything." Experienced rock Alonso also found it positive. "When I watched the races from home last year, Friday meant nothing at all," agrees Alonso. "The long rides in practice might be very important for the teams and the drivers, but not for the people," said the Spaniard, who therefore hopes the format will stay.

Even Sebastian Vettel, who is normally keen on leaving things as they were, was positive about the sprint race. "It was a bit strange because it was by far the shortest race in recent years for me, but it's not bad. I'm sure people loved it. I think it's better than watching free practice," Vettel told Formel1.de. However, the Heppenheimer did express his disagreement with the way the pole position statistic is handled.

Negative noises

Not everyone is positive though. Sergio Perez for example: "You can't prepare for anything. You can't prepare for the sprint and you can't prepare for the race. Everyone saves kilometres. We can improve that." Daniel Ricciardo also didn't think it was an instant success, but didn't have an alternative idea ready so quickly: "Maybe we can have a one-hour driver's parade," was the best alternative the Australian could think of.