As RaceFans reports, Max Verstappen has launched a sharp criticism of Formula 1's decision to stage sprint races at venues where overtaking is exceptionally difficult, specifically pointing to Singapore after winning the sprint race at the Marina Bay circuit today.
The Red Bull driver actually lost his initial lead from pole position at the start of the race to George Russell. However, the Mercedes driver crashed out at the end of the first lap, allowing Verstappen to take over and lead for the rest of the race until the end.
So also that with how all the rules are at the moment with our lovely batteries, it just doesn’t do much. You can’t even get super-close or have a massive overspeed at the moment.
Looking ahead, Formula 1 is set to increase the number of sprint races from six to ten next year, bringing the format to other circuits renowned for difficult overtaking, such as Monaco. Verstappen did not hold back on his assessment of these choices. "We shouldn’t host a sprint where you can’t pass," he said. "You have tracks where you can race and can overtake, but of course, in some places you cannot pass and we are going to have sprints there also next year."
As one of the most vocal critics of the divisive sprint race format, Verstappen has repeatedly pointed out the shortcomings of current power units. He explained that these make passing even harder in Singapore. "I’m fine, I just do my thing, but it’s not what I like," he stated. "Also the problem we have at the moment is with the Overtake Mode, it barely does anything here. You don’t really gain a lot on the straights."
He further blamed the current regulations for hindering action. "So also that with how all the rules are at the moment with our lovely batteries, it just doesn’t do much. You can’t even get super-close or have a massive overspeed at the moment."
While Verstappen admitted that "the track is great," he suggested that layout changes are necessary to encourage better racing. "I of course fully agree we need to have a longer straight or more of a proper hairpin to overtake," he concluded. "But even with that also, we need a bigger delta [between speeds] on the straight."
