Alpine boss Flavio Briatore has thrown out a controversial idea to give fans more bang for their buck at race weekends. Speaking during the summer break, he's pushing for sprint races to become a permanent fixture on every single F1 calendar event. It sounds great in theory, right? More racing action, more excitement for spectators. But there's one four-time world champion who's already made his feelings crystal clear about this kind of thing, and his name is Max Verstappen.

More F1 news: Max Verstappen's 2027 Ultimatum: Red Bull Must Guarantee a Championship Car

Briatore's pitch is rooted in wanting to maximize value for fans who shell out serious cash to attend a Grand Prix. He pointed to the packed crowds at Silverstone earlier this year, where over 564,000 fans showed up across the four-day event. The Italian executive reckoned the solution is straightforward: run sprint races on every race weekend across all 24 rounds. According to him, this gives spectators actual competitive racing on Saturday instead of just technical sessions and practice runs. He's got a point about fan engagement, but the execution would be brutal for everyone involved.

More F1 news: The 2026 Debate That's Dividing F1 Experts: Who's Really the Best Driver?

Here's where Max Verstappen comes in. The Red Bull driver has been vocal about his disdain for sprint races throughout this year's campaign. Before the season even kicked off, he dismissed them as unnecessary and boring, and more importantly, he highlighted the real problem nobody talks about enough. These extra Saturday races wreak absolute havoc on the mechanics and engineering crews, who are already working double shifts just to keep everything running smoothly. Adding sprint races to every weekend would push teams to the brink.

More F1 news: Five Ways the 2026 Title Fight Could Still Play Out After Antonelli's Dominant First Half

Verstappen made it crystal clear in interviews that most fans completely overlook this side of F1. The relentless schedule and constant activity don't just affect drivers trying to keep their focus across multiple races. It's the hundreds of mechanics and engineers who bear the brunt of the workload. Sprint races every weekend would transform race weekends from manageable marathons into absolute chaos behind the scenes. For someone like Max, who's already been critical of modern F1's direction, Briatore's idea would only add fuel to the fire of his frustrations with the sport.

Shop the collection: Max Verstappen merch  •  Red Bull Racing merch