"Hectic, stressful"

Max criticizes: Spielberg race more restless than ever

Max Verstappen has a stressful weekend ahead of him in Spielberg.(Bild: GEPA)

In addition to the Grand Prix on Sunday, a sprint race is once again on the program in Spielberg on Saturday. The new schedule is causing extra stress for Max Verstappen and Co ...

Six times per season, Formula 1 relies on an extra dose of spectacle. A sprint weekend will also take place in Spielberg this year, and fans can look forward to more racing action in Styria, as in the past two years. Before the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday (3pm), a 24-lap sprint race will take place at the Red Bull Ring on Saturday (12pm), in which world championship points will also be awarded.

One hour for perfect setup
On Friday (12.30 pm), the racing teams have to set up their cars as perfectly as possible for the track in a one-hour practice session. Four hours later, qualifying for the shorter race is already on the agenda. In the first two qualifying sections, the drivers are only allowed to use one set of medium tires; the fastest soft tire is only used in the final "SQ3".

New timetable
Eight points are awarded for winning the sprint race, with points being awarded in descending order, meaning that the eighth-placed driver receives one more point. Shortly after the sprint on Saturday (12 noon), qualifying (4 pm) for the main race on Sunday will also take place. Last year, the schedule was different - qualifying for the main race took place on Friday, while Saturday was reserved for the sprint. The change was made because, due to the "parc fermé" rule, the set-up of the cars could no longer be changed from Friday afternoon until the race on Sunday and mistakes were therefore punished all the more severely.

For drivers and teams, the changed schedule of a sprint weekend is an additional challenge compared to regular races. Red Bull world champion Max Verstappen prepared himself for a "hectic and stressful weekend" in the Mur Valley. "It's really important that we get the car set up right away," emphasized the Dutchman ahead of the third sprint weekend of the year.

Verstappen is the "sprint expert" in the Formula 1 circus. Since its introduction in 2021, the triple champion has won nine of the 14 sprint races held. This year, there are still sprint weekends in Austin/USA, Sao Paulo/Brazil and Lusail/Qatar, all in the final quarter of the season.