F1 is looking to revamp the format of race weekends, with CEO Stefano Dominecalli looking to keep younger audiences interested. One of the ideas being discussed is bringing reverse grids to the sport. However, championship leader Oscar Piastri is against the idea.
The Australian disagrees with reverse grids and thinks they should be kept in the lower formulas. He believes that flipping the grid is detrimental to the integrity of the sport and shouldn’t be elevated to the pinnacle of motor sport.
Oscar Piastri is against plans to reverse grids
At an F2 event, all weekends include sprint races, where the top 10 are switched around. However, Oscar Piastri believes that this concept should be left in the feeder series and not brought to F1.
After being asked in Baku about his thoughts on reverse grids, the McLaren driver answered, “It’s a bad idea.”
Piastri explained, “From a purely sporting and competitive side of things, the last thing we want as a sport is things being decided or critical results being had from reverse grid races.
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“In F2 and F3, I think it works. In F2 and F3, you’re kind of showcasing yourself to why you should be in Formula 1, and I think that’s a way of showcasing certain things.”
Other drivers on the grid backed up Piastri’s point of view, with even the Haas team principal, Ayao Kumatsu, agreeing with the Aussie. With the grid seemingly united against the idea of reverse grids, it is unlikely we will see them in F1 anytime soon.
Oscar Piastri is open to the idea of more sprint races
Another idea that Domenicalli is looking to bring to F1 for the 2027 season is more sprint races. The Italian wants to increase the number from six weekends to ten, and the championship leader believes this could work.
When the Australian was asked about the increase in sprint weekends, the 24-year-old summarised, “Adding more sprints is not necessarily a bad idea.”
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Domenicalli is catering to the new younger audiences, who he claims want more action. He says the new audiences coming in prefer sprint weekends over the traditional ones. Adding more sprint races could be a way to keep the younger audiences who want to see more racing.
Adding more sprint weekends will add more strain for the drivers, who are already competing in 24 race weekends. A quarter of them already include sprint formats, and adding more could be too much for them. But Domenicalli is keen to push this through despite the criticism. Is this the right call? Let us know your thoughts in the comment sections.
