F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali has urged drivers to think of the bigger picture following recent criticism of the Sprint format.

One particular critic of the Sprint is Max Verstappen, who admitted following the first Sprint of the season: "I'm not a fan of it at all," in reaction to the revised format which sees qualifying for the Sprint and the 'mini-race itself held as stand-alone events on Saturdays.

"I think when we're going to do all that kind of stuff, the weekend becomes even more intense," added the Dutchman, "and we're already doing so many races, so I think that is not the right way to go at it.

"We're heading into seasons where you have at one point 24, 25 races, because that's where we're going to head into. If we then start adding even more stuff, it's not worth it for me anyway. I'm not enjoying that."

This season sees the number of Sprints increased to 6, with F1 bosses understood to want this increased so that at least a third of the events on the calendar feature the races.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Domenicali was critical of some of the comments made about the Sprint, calling on drivers to look at the bigger picture.

"I don't want a society in which people cannot say what they want," he insisted. "But drivers sometimes need to remember that they are part of a broader picture. We don't need to be selfish.

"They are part of this sport and this business, and it grows because we are thinking bigger," he added. "Sometimes being out of our comfort zone is not easy, but we cannot be lazy or complacent.

"We can review some of the specifics of the sprint weekend format at the end of the season once we have tried it out on the intended six occasions," he continued.

"We won't have sprints every weekend," he promised. "But we have a new audience and need to provide value for money every session, not let everyone drive around in circles for the sole benefit of engineers and drivers."

Now, on a reputed $5m a year, when boss at Ferrari Domenicali was only too happy to see "everyone drive around in circles", claiming that any suggested changes to the sport threatened its DNA. However, in his role as the 'acceptable face' of Liberty Media as it seeks to 'Americanise' and, more importantly, monetise every aspect of the sport, almost nothing appears to be off the table in pursuit of a whole new fan-base and its money.

Asked about Verstappen's threat to walk away from F1, Domenicali insisted that it is not an issue.

"I discussed the issues with Max, he said he loved the sport and what he was doing. He is world champion and is fighting for a third title.

"He was born in a car," he added. "I would say he is likely to stay longer than me. It's not a problem."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by kenji, 23/05/2023 11:30

"An Ode to the Comp.

I've taken the hint
That you don't like the sprint
And I don't mind at all
If that's your last call

But it has to be said
That its all in your head
As the sprints aren't yet dead.

"

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2. Posted by equator180, 23/05/2023 9:18

"Why doesn't Pit Pass get an idea of how the readership as a whole feels on these "spirit" races, take a poll."

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3. Posted by Celtic Tiger, 23/05/2023 0:13

"I wonder if Domenicali walks in and out of rooms a la 1960s Thunderbirds style.
"

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4. Posted by trackrecords, 22/05/2023 19:09

""I don't want a society in which people cannot say what they want". Or to put it another way perhaps, "people can say what they want, but if we take any notice - just like a cat - that is another matter...""

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5. Posted by Editor, 22/05/2023 18:15

"@ elsiebc

It is indeed

While insisting that everyone is free ot have an opinion, it would appear that F1 has been very, very busy today getting the media to 'clarify' Stefano's comments.

And all the time we thought it was another aspect of the article they might take issue with."

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6. Posted by elsiebc, 22/05/2023 17:31

"Hmm... So the story got a different title. Is that also a different lead paragraph?"

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7. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 22/05/2023 14:57

"Want excitement; bring back refueling. Offer some points on Qualifying."

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8. Posted by Mad Matt, 22/05/2023 14:23

"@Max Noble... I agree, Max V is not one of my favourites but sometimes he comes up with some good stuff, he's clearly a great driver and above all he's a character and that's part of what makes a sport fun to watch.

@Editor: However did you guess? :-)"

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9. Posted by Max Noble, 22/05/2023 12:29

"You’re completely free to agree with me in any manner you want. If you wish to disagree with me, kindly go out the back, take a cold shower, burn your mobile phone, cancel your instagram and twitter accounts, and then go into a dark far wood, and tell any remaining animal life there that you are potentially upset about things within the FIA remit, but it’s mostly good, so can we all gather honey and smile at flowers regardless of the global temperature…?

You’re a dingus SD. You want characters in F1. V. Max is one. Don’t then tell him off for having an opinion…
"

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10. Posted by Editor, 22/05/2023 11:57

"@ Mad Matt

When you say, "with few exceptions it seems fans (new or old) don't like the sprints either", you actually mean Kenji."

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11. Posted by Mad Matt, 22/05/2023 11:52

"Exactly @Burton, with few exceptions it seems fans (new or old) don't like the sprints either... with the exception of things like Brazil last year which were more a result of the weather than anything else."

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12. Posted by Burton, 22/05/2023 11:40

"Absolutely pathetic stuff from Domenicali. The moment they got a sprint sponsor Liberty buried their own fan survey which showed how poorly received the sprints were, and now he's threatening people that aren't even his employees for saying the same thing the survey said."

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We must think of the bigger picture, urges Domenicali

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