World championship leader Oscar Piastri is firmly opposed to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali’s push to introduce reverse grid races.
Piastri, along with Max Verstappen, has set the most pole positions of any driver this year. He believes introducing reverse grids would diminish the sporting element of F1.
“Reverse grids – it might sound obvious from where I’m sat, but it’s a bad idea,” he said in today’s FIA press conference.
“Just from a purely sporting and competitive side of things, I think the last thing we want as a sport is things being decided — or critical results happening — because of reverse grid races and stuff like that.”
He says the practice of using reverse grids is justified in junior categories but not in the top flight.
“In Formula 1, there’s nothing more than winning the championship. In F2 and F3, you’re kind of showcasing yourself as to why you should get into F1, and I think that’s a way of showcasing certain things.
“At the end of the day, the people that will put you in F1 know whether you’ve done a good job or not, regardless of the results. In Formula 1, you don’t have that next step.”
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F1 owner Liberty Media has tried and failed to introduce reverse grids on several past occasions. Domenicali has argued for them several times and recently talked about introducing more radical changes to F1’s race weekend format.
Nico Hulkenberg is also unconvinced by the arguments for reverse grid races, saying it risks putting the show before the sport.
“Reverse grids – honestly, I don’t know, that’s a bit mixed feelings,” he said. “It’s a challenge F1 faces.
“The sport is popular, obviously you always want to enhance and improve the entertainment side, but you also need to cover and keep a balance with the performance side.
“For us as a sport, we’re looking for ultimate performance. To find the right balance is not easy. We also need our practice time, and we look for perfection and ultimate performance. So there’s definitely a balance to be had, but [I’m] always open to change.”
Pierre Gasly said he “fully agrees with Nico” on the need to strike a balance between sport and entertainment.
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“We’ve got to keep some DNA of the sport. The formats we have at the moment — in my opinion — are very good.
“From a driver’s point of view, you have three [practice] sessions, you’re able to work on the car. Engineering-wise, it’s good — session to session — to optimise and perfect the car for quali. And then you have one main race, which is the main event.
“I agree it’s good to try, but at the same time, I’m more towards saying we’ve got a great product, great formats, fans like it. I’d be happy to leave it as it is.
“I’m sure we’ll experience it, and maybe I’ll change my mind in the future. But for now, I’m more towards the current format.”
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