“Sport is like that in nature”: Max Verstappen makes an interesting analogy as he talks about F1 sprint races

Max Verstappen commented on F1's Sprint races and about making the sport more interesting for the spectators. Formula 1 recently released the list of the six Sprint races that will be held in the 2026 season, featuring Zandvoort and Singapore.

This was merely weeks after F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali commented on Formula 1 races becoming too long and sometimes boring. He claimed that the younger generation mostly watched the highlights and that something could be done about the race length. However, Red Bull's Max Verstappen has a different take on the situation.

Speaking in context with the Sprint weekends, he mentioned that sports cannot always be exciting. Taking an example from football, he claimed that even those matches can sometimes turn out to be boring, and nothing artificial can be done to make them more exciting, which would change the general nature of sports.

"You all know how I feel about Sprint races, and I also find the length of the races acceptable," he said (via AutoRacer). "Formula 1 is like other sports: sometimes you watch an exciting football match, sometimes it's absolutely boring and you fall asleep."

"Sport is like that by nature; you can't always make it exciting because in the end, paradoxically, it would become less exciting and more artificial . We have to understand that sport is like that: sometimes Grand Prixs are incredibly exciting, other times less so."

With the rising number and importance of Sprint races, Verstappen still feels that the sport cannot completely give up on practice sessions.

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"Very important to practice": Max Verstappen on why FP sessions are crucial for drivers

A traditional race weekend has three Free Practice sessions held on Friday and Saturday, followed by the qualifying and the main race. Only the latter two of the total five sessions throughout a weekend are competitive between teams for the fans, and, understandably, the practice sessions can sometimes not raise the excitement that a race session does.

As a result, the Sprint weekend has a significantly different format. It features only one practice session, followed by a Sprint Qualifying, then a Sprint race the next day, which is followed by the main qualifying, and the main race on Sunday. This omits the two practice sessions and replaces them with more competitive sessions, increasing fan engagement.

However, drivers still need to spend time behind the wheel practicing on a track. They need the free practice sessions to set up their cars right and to get acquainted with all the changes a team makes.

Max Verstappen feels the same. He mentioned that while the Sprint weekends are more exciting for fans, drivers need their practice sessions, and they cannot be omitted, and suggested that sports should not be 'overdone.'

"Yes, I see the positive aspects: people earn more, but obviously I also understand the motivation behind this format, which is to try to make the product more exciting," Max Verstappen continued on the Sprint races subject.

"I also understand that for the fans who come to the track, qualifying is more exciting than a free practice session, but for us, it's still very important to practice. Sports evolve naturally, it has to be that way, the important thing is not to overdo it."

Max Verstappen is known for his love of traditionalism in racing. He continues to be one of the top-performing drivers in the 2025 F1 season despite McLaren's dominance at the top. The Dutchman has won three races this year and sits comfortably in third place in the Drivers' Championship; however, he is not a strong contender for the title.