"It's going to be a quite interesting battle again" - Max Verstappen looks forward to 2022 F1 Austrian GP after winning the Sprint race

Max Verstappen won the 2022 Austrian GP Sprint Qualifying. The Dutchman will start Sunday's main race in P1, ahead of Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

Verstappen started the sprint race in P1 after nailing Friday's qualifying session, pipping Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. The reigning world champion led all 23 laps of the sprint race, comfortably placing his Red Bull in front of the two squabbling Ferraris. The 24-year-old was awarded eight points for his performance and extended his lead in the drivers' championship.

The Scuderia's cars engaged in a battle in the opening laps, helping Max Verstappen to run away and get the win in the second sprint race of the year. Meanwhile, George Russell finished behind the two Ferraris, and Sergio Perez finished in P5 after an excellent recovery drive from thirteenth on the grid.

Max Verstappen told Naomi Schiff at Parc Ferme:

“It was a decent race. We had good start in the beginning and after that we were very closely matched. It was good, it was like a sprint should go, quite flat out. In the first few laps [the Ferraris] were also fighting a little bit, so I had a bit of a gap. After that I think we were quite similar in pace.”

He continued:

“I think tomorrow it's going to be a quite interesting battle again. The race is going to be a lot longer and tricky on tires. The car is good. There's a few things to fine tune but overall we have been really competitive again this weekend.”

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Max Verstappen feels it would be a 'big shame' for F1 to replace the Belgian GP

Max Verstappen hopes that the sport does not replace his favorite track, Spa Francorchamps, in favor of a new venue. Responding to recent reports that suggested that F1 might consider replacing some historic venues such as Spa and Paul Ricard to make space for newer venues elsewhere around the world, Verstappen felt that it would be “a shame” to lose his “favourite track.”

Speaking ahead of the 2022 Austrian GP, the Red Bull driver said:

“It would be a big shame to lose Spa. It’s my favourite track in the world and also with the recent changes they did to the runoff and stuff. Yeah, I think it’s just an amazing track in a Formula 1 car, any car to be honest, with all the high-speed corners and the flow it has in general.”

The sport is planning a potential race in South Africa and has already announced the 2023 Las Vegas GP. But given that the current calendar already consists of 23 races, there has been some resistance to including more venues on the schedule. Hence, recent reports suggested that F1 might consider dropping some existing venues to make way for new circuits, given the higher financial incentives as well as the prospect for growth.

The reigning world champion will start Sunday's Austrian GP in pole position and has put himself in the best possible position to win at his team's home track.