F1 boss Stefano Domenicali has raised the prospect of more sprint races, and potentially even reverse grids, in the future
Charles Leclerc believes reverse grids should not be introduced in Formula 1, arguing they are “not part of the sport’s DNA.”
Last month, F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali mooted the prospect of reverse grids being implemented in the future. Currently, all F2 and F3 events involve reverse grid races in their schedule, whereby the top-10 qualifying order is reversed for the sprint race with fewer points on offer, while all positions below the top-10 remain the same for both races.
Domenicali is also looking at increasing the number of sprint events, which currently stands at six out of 24, for the 2027 season as the F1 boss looks to expand the competitiveness of the three-day product.
Yet Ferrari driver Leclerc believes the current tally of sprints, representing 25% of events this year, is the correct amount and dismissed reverse grids as a realistic prospect.
"My personal opinion is that I think the amount of sprint races we have at the moment is good enough and I wouldn't want to go more than that," Leclerc said, at the last race in Azerbaijan.
"The reverse grid... I don't know, not on a normal weekend at least.
"On a sprint weekend, why not consider for the sprint race but it's really not something that I see should be part of Formula 1's DNA.
“I think the way Formula 1 is at the moment is where I think it should stay and I don't think we've got to reinvent anything."
Back in 2019, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel were highly critical of the potential of reverse grids in F1, with Hamilton saying: “The people who propose that don’t really know what they’re talking about.”
Max Verstappen has previously been critical of sprint races too, but Domenicali insists this format – which increases the number of competitive sessions over a weekend from two to four, with just one practice session – is here to stay.
“I think that the sprint, whatever will be the right format, we need to have it,” he stated in August. “It will represent the future. I think that, between six and 24, we have to do steps into the middle.”
F1 next heads to Singapore this weekend for round 18 of the 2025 season.
Category: General Sports
