Max Verstappen has voiced his opposition against street circuits as the weight increase of F1 cars are making it "the worst experience” for drivers.
The priority of F1 to increase the calendar has seen the introduction of Miami and Saudi Arabia in recent years in addition to the regular visit to Monaco. Another street circuit will be added to the calendar next year when the famous strip of 'Sin City' will be used as part of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Despite his dislike to street circuits two-time world champion Verstappen won in Miami and Abu Dhabi during a dominant campaign in 2022 which saw the Dutch driver win 15 races.
Verstappen referenced the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this season which saw his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez crash out resulting in the qualifying session being red flagged preventing the Dutch driver from recording a final flying lap.
Speaking to Viaplay, Verstappen said: "It is very tricky, especially in (Monaco) qualifying when you go to the limit, it's really tough to nail a lap."
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Verstappen added that the added weight of current F1 cars is making it more difficult for drivers to navigate street circuits.
He added: "Now with the new cars, driving on a street circuit is the worst experience ever. It's just because they're way too heavy, too stiff.
"I was driving in Singapore - and I love Singapore, it's a really amazing track - and I was really disappointed just with the how the cars are behaving, compared to like 2015, 2016 where it's a little bit more agile and you can ride the kerbs.
"Now the cars are so stiff [that] as soon as you touch the kerb you almost end up on the other side of the track."
With the introduction of glitzy street circuits like Spa-Francorchamps face losing their place on the calendar. Organisers of the Belgian Grand Prix feared the race would be cut from the 2023 calendar before being given a one-year contract extension.
Verstappen says that the classic F1 courses shouldn't face being replaced. He added: "I'm personally more about high-speed corners, for me Spa 100% (should never leave the calendar), because that's really where you can make a big difference as a driver."
