Max Verstappen is a fan of Formula 1, but maybe not quite to the extent that some of his fellow drivers are.
It’s no secret that Verstappen has looked outside the F1 paddock in recent years, exploring opportunities to race in different series and formats.
Earlier this year, team boss Laurent Mekies gave Verstappen the green light to compete in GT3 at the Nordschleife. He went on to pick up his first win in that category shortly after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The sport will be hoping he stays around for a while yet. Verstappen is still very much in the title hunt heading into the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Red Bull rely heavily on him, and now Verstappen, alongside teammate Yuki Tsunoda, has shared his thoughts on how he’d change a typical F1 weekend if given control of the sport.
Verstappen calls for shorter F1 calendar, fewer street circuits, and a move away from sprint races
During an appearance on the Securing the Win Podcast, Verstappen was asked what changes he would introduce if given control of Formula 1.
The four-time world champion didn’t hesitate with his answer: “Definitely a lot less races, only the good tracks, not too many street circuits. Two-day race weekends. An even more straightforward calendar with the flying.”
“So, yeah, quite a few changes. No sprints, just a main race because there’s more emotion in it. One practice, a qualifying in a race.”
Tsunoda was also asked about his potential rule changes and admitted he would like a return to one-lap qualifying.
Tsunoda was also asked about his potential rule changes and admitted he would like a return to one-lap qualifying. “I would say for the race weekend,” Tsunoda said. “I would do a completely new layout.”
James Vowles backs Max Verstappen’s push for a two-day race weekend
Stefano Domenicali, the CEO of Formula One Group, has spoken about expanding the Sprint calendar, a move that doesn’t align with Verstappen’s preferences.
While the Sprint format does feature just one practice session, Verstappen doesn’t see much value in adding another qualifying and race to the schedule.
The challenge for F1 is keeping fans engaged. While casual viewers tend to skip practice sessions, they’re more likely to watch a Saturday Sprint before qualifying.
Williams boss James Vowles has come out in support of a two-day race weekend in the past. Speaking to Autosport, he said: “I think what we see on sprint race weekends is the numbers go up, the audiences go up, so it is generally a hit.
“I’m more someone who would like to debate whether we go to two-day weekends, Saturday, Sunday.”
Max Verstappen has been vocal about the risk of burnout, and the looming triple-header stands as the toughest stretch yet — a 16-day sprint that drags teams from Las Vegas to Qatar and then on to Abu Dhabi.
READ MORE: Why Ferrari’s £2.2m suspension change backfired — and how it shapes their 2026 F1 rebuild
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