"300%! That’s my feeling”: Former F1 champion backs Max Verstappen’s claims of following traditional qualification format

If there is anyone who resonates with Max Verstappen, who says that F1 no longer needs to experiment to better itself, it is Mario Andretti.

The Red Bull Racing driver felt that increasing the number of sprint races in general is unnecessary. Max has plans of leaving the F1 fraternity should the racing format undergo further changes.

Andretti agrees with Max Verstappen’s comments on all accounts. Speaking with PlanetF1.com, Andretti said:

“Well, I think he has the right to express himself. As far as these qualifying Sprints, they do leave something to be desired for some people. Other people, I suppose, like it. If I was a driver, I would say the qualifying format as we know it is fantastic. I don’t think you need to hype that up anymore.”

Max just wants to express what he feels about it, and there’s nothing wrong with that. 300%! That’s my feeling," Andretti said in agreement with the traditional GP weekend being unchanged.

Andretti finds sprint races derailing from the essence of the race weekend. He explains that sprint races lead to higher chances of accidents and damaging cars that result in drivers missing out on the main race.

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Max Verstappen has always been an aggressive and outspoken driver on the paddock

Max Verstappen is known in F1 to be outspoken and express what he feels about things, unfiltered. When it came to bringing changes to the race format, Max has been the last man standing going against the grain. Andretti thinks Max is well within his rights and there is nothing wrong in him voicing out what he feels.

Be it during interviews, press conferences, or post-race tussles with drivers, the Dutchman doesn’t mince his words. The recent feud between George Russell and Max Verstappen during the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix brought the driver a lot of negative publicity.

Max had been villainized for over three seasons of Netflix’s Drive to Survive because of which he refused to feature on the fourth season of the docuseries.

The heated exchange between Max and his teammate Sergio Perez has done the rounds in the media for a long time. Frosty moments between the Bulls during the Azerbaijan GP stand as an example of the equation he shares with his teammate.

Max Verstappen’s raw and aggressive nature has affected Red Bull Racing’s overall reputation because of ongoing internal tiffs between the drivers. However, Max’s aggression comes to good use when he is behind the wheel, and managed to win two championship titles and help Red Bull dethrone eight-time constructors' champion Mercedes AMG Petronas.