FIA Goes Against Reigning Champion Max Verstappen’s Wishes To Bring About Major Change in 2023 Schedule

The new FIA directive is sure to make the defending F1 champion Max Verstappen disappointed. As FIA doubled the number of sprint races next year, the Dutchman is obliged to partake when they become a part of the calendar in 2023. Despite Verstappen’s detest as he feels they are not an actual race, this has been a major change in the 2023 schedule.

In a recent development, Formula 1’s governing body decided to increase the number of sprint races in 2023. From three races in 2022, they have decided to host six sprint races in 2023. Much to the Red Bull star’s displeasure, he now will have to take part twice as much as he did in 2022.

In 2023, the Sprints will be held in Azerbaijan (Baku City Circuit), Austria (Red Bull Ring), Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps), Qatar (Losail Circuit), the United States (Circuit of The Americas), and Brazil (Interlagos).

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Interlagos will be the only circuit to be featured in sprint races in 2023 after it hosted two races in 2021 and 2022 back-to-back. On the other hand, Italy hosted the sprint race in Monza in 2021 and Imola in 2022. Furthermore, Britain hosted it in 2021, and Austria hosted it in 2022.

Max Verstappen feels sprints aren’t really race

The defending F1 champion Max Verstappen isn’t a big-time fan of the sprint races. Even though the 25-year-old won some of them, which helped in his championship battle. But they were not enough to impress the former Toro Rosso driver.

Talking about this, Verstappen conveyed to The Race, “I don’t like it. For me, I don’t enjoy the weekend format. I don’t mind the one practice, and straight into qualifying. For me, that’s probably better. I just don’t like… there’s no feeling with it.”

“All the time when I do these races, it’s all about ‘oh, let’s not damage it, make sure you stay in the top three, and for me, that’s not really a race. I think we should just stick to one race. I don’t understand what the problem is with that,” further asserted the 2x World Champion in a report published by WTF1.

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In 2021, Max Verstappen won the Great Britain GP sprint race and finished in P2 in Monza as well as in Interlagos. In 2022, Max Verstappen won the Imola GP and Austrian GP Sprint race and finished the final Brazilian GP sprint race in P4.