Why Verstappen’s F1 sprint race 'quit threat' isn’t rooted in reality

By:

Alex Kalinauckas

Apr 7, 2023, 8:11 AM

OPINION: Reports during the Australian Grand Prix positioned Max Verstappen as threatening to quit Formula 1 over proposed changes to sprint races – a concept he doesn’t like. But, while that is long established, would he really actually walk away from his position at the top of grand prix racing or was something else at play?

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It had been a great start to race day at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix. The walk from the modest St Kilda hotel had been hot and sunny – the two cooler, blustery Melbourne days just gone sizzled into mere memory.

There was the fallout from the tear up of two Ford Mustangs bursting into shocking fireballs in the Supercars support races to hear about from our correspondent Andrew van Leeuwen ahead of that championship’s third Albert Park race. Plus, the prospect of two Mercedes drivers sending very Max Verstappen-like moves at the world champion at the start of the upcoming grand prix.

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Alex Kalinauckas

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Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.