Max Verstappen and Lando Norris threatened with starting a....

At the most recent sprint race in Austria, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris battled it out from the front row of the grid. However, under potential new reverse-grid rules being debated by F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, the pair would have been starting from the back.

The concept of reverse-grid racing is nothing new in motorsport and is currently in action in Formula Two and Formula Three as a means of adding more action and diversity to their race weekends. They are a naturally divisive topic though.

In 2025, there will be six sprint races on the F1 calendar and while a handful of these races have produced some memorable battles, most have been forgettable with the absence of significant tyre offsets and strategy taking away an element of Grand Prix racing that fans and drivers love.

is clear that under Domenicali’s leadership, sprints are not going away, but the F1 CEO is willing to consider implementing reverse-grid races that would force the likes of Verstappen and Norris to push flat-out to battle through the field and claim points.

He later added: “Personally, I would say, why not? It’s a lot of action. It is overtaking. You’re fighting for points? Some people can say, ‘Oh, it is a fake way of racing.’ Fake? There is nothing fake related to what you believe is the right format to produce great action. So I would be interested to discuss that again. Yes.”