18 April 2023 , 14:03
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Damon Hill has urged Max Verstappen to quit racing if he is "not having fun".
The 1996 Formula 1 champion's comments come after Verstappen's open criticism of the plans to change the race weekend structure. He has been against such moves in the past and did not react well to the news that more tweaks are on the way for sprint events this season.
The Red Bull star, who has made it clear on several occasions that he is no fan of the sprints, threatened to walk away from the sport if F1 chiefs continue to experiment with the structure. "I won't be around for too long," he warned after declaring his dislike for the changes.
F1 chief Stefano Domenicali proposed plans to the World Motor Sport Council to remove the second practice session on the Saturday of a sprint weekend and replace it with a second qualifying session, which would set the grid for the short-form race later that day.
Verstappen has been known to be critical of the Sprint race weekends, which began to be implemented into the race calendar in 2021. "I am not a fan of it at all. When we do all that kind of stuff, the weekend becomes very intense, and we already do a lot of races," he previously declared.
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"We're heading into seasons where you have at one point 24, 25, races because that's where were going to head into if we start adding even more stuff, it's not worth it for me anyway. I'm not enjoying that."
Damon Hill thinks Verstappen should seriously consider quitting if he's not having fun (Sky Sports F1)Hill believes Verstappen's threat to leave the sport is "very unusual". He told the Sky Sports F1 podcast: "It's kind of strange to hear, isn't it? I mean, what's he going to do with himself? He should stop now really. Stop now, he's done it.
"I think fun is a very important point. Is he having fun, because I sometimes think he's not having fun. I think you have to love what you're doing, otherwise it's a grind." But his Sky colleague Martin Brundle believes Verstappen's threat was an empty one.
He said: "I think what he's trying to say is, using pleasant words, 'Don't mess around too much. Let's evolve and massage this along. Don't keep changing the ground rules'. I get his point on that, but I don't really see why that would make him stop."