F1 president backtracks on plans that Max Verstappen threatened to quit over
Published
| Last updated
Max Verstappen's comments about Formula One potentially ditching practice sessions appears to have caused a rethink within the sport.
Current drivers' world champion Verstappen already looks set to win a third title in-a-row, despite the season only being three race old.
The Red Bull driver has won two races and come second in the other, which was won by teammate Sergio Perez, after Verstappen started 15th on the grid.
Even Lewis Hamilton has been accused of helping the Dutchman win recently, not that he really needs help, such is the pace of his car.
Loading…
Despite being absolutely dominant right now, and looking very capable of one day beating all sorts of Hamilton's records, the 25-year-old isn't happy.
He's even claimed that he could walk away from the sport in the near future, due to his annoyance at the possibility of some major changes.
The plans are to reduce the number of practice sessions in a race weekend, and in turn add more 'sprint races,' with just six in the current calendar.
Verstappen's views seem to have had an affect, with F1 president Stefano Domenicali revealing that they won't be getting rid of practice yet.
"Of course, there needs to be the time for practice," the former Ferrari team principal told Sky Sports.
"But the people are coming to see performance and the more that you give the teams and drivers the chance to see who they are, the better it is for the show."
"It's not because we don't respect the traditions, we respect the old way of thinking of our weekend, but it would be wrong not to think about it.
"We also have a new generation that are coming in that are more aggressive in asking for something different."
At the moment, most race weekends start with two practice sessions on the Friday, followed by a third on Saturday morning ahead of qualifying, and then the race Sunday.
Domecali wants to get rid of practice sessions on Saturday and include a sprint race, which would see more excitement for the fans, especially with drivers having less time to get used to tracks.
Last Sunday, the sport was accused of just pandering to the Netflix, 'Drive to Survive,' show, with the farcical ending to the race in Melbourne.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Formula 1, Red Bull Racing, Max Verstappen
