Max Verstappen concerned by F1 calendar expansion's focus on 'entertainment' over racing

Max Verstappen says Formula 1 must be careful with its future calendar expansions and must ensure it does not predominantly race ‘just at street circuits which its cars are ‘not made for.’

The F1 calendar has been significantly revamped since Liberty Media purchased the series from former supremo Bernie Ecclestone in 2017, with historic circuits Zandvoort and Imola returning to the top tier of motorsport for the first time in many years.

The latest expansion drive, though, focuses on street circuits in major cities. A planned race in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi was eventually cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, while F1 has raced in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah twice since December.

Miami will make its Formula 1 debut in May with a race around the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium, and will return to Las Vegas for the first time since 1982 with an event incorporating the infamous Strip in November 2023.

While world champion Verstappen acknowledges that F1 needs to make money, he believes the focus should be on purpose-built racing circuits which are designed to get the best out of the sport’s machinery.

‘Of course [F1] has to make money and try to make the sport more popular, but it’s also important that the right tracks stay on the calendar and that we don’t just race at street circuits in cities,” Verstappen told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. ‘In the end, these cars are not made for that.’

Stefano Domenicali became F1 CEO at the beginning of 2020, and though Verstappen understands his desire to bring more money into the sport, believes that the changes coming to F1 are best seen in the context of the entertainment industry in wider society.

‘He understands that [the cars may not be made for that] too, but he