In an attempt to allow Red Bull Race Max Verstappen to set more records and win more things, Formula 1 announced today that they are considering a new award for the 2024 sprint weekend,”Grand Slam.” Basically, the prize will be given to any rider who takes the pole and wins both the sprint and the main event. So congratulations Max, I guess.
News coming from a Motorsport.com Exclusive interview with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, who said, “There is a proposal that I would like to make, which fits the concept of the ‘Grand Slam’. It’s the riders who won two poles and won two races over the weekend that should be recognized with something extra, which showcases the sports business they’ve achieved.”
These are clearly early days, so we can’t say for certain what the official, actual rewards will be for speed in every aspect of the weekend’s sprint, but Motorsport reckons the Grand Slam will does not come with any additional champion points ; instead, the driver will probably just get a trophy to tell him he’s the best.
The whole ‘Grand Slam’ issue is part of a larger discussion that will take place over sprint weekends. In 2024, in the third year of the sprint, F1 intends to have six sprint weekends — and as feedback continues to arrive, it also intends to refine the format.
But that so-called subtlety has come with some confusion thanks to drastic weekend schedule changes made this year. However, Domenicali claims that constantly rescheduling the weekend format is not a problem.
“We analyzed this point,” he told Motorsport.com. “I believe the risk has more to do with loyal viewers, who have their own habits, than new fans, who are much more willing to change.”
Yes, that is definitely something. I’m sure it won’t cause confusion when fans mention it either other ‘Grand Slam.’ Now, if you’re referring to a Grand Slam in F1, you’re talking about a driver taking pole position, setting the fastest lap and also winning the race in an event. In the same way that fans are certainly unfazed to see their mainstay stats shuffled by sprint format in the first year.
Either way, we here at Jalopnik congratulate Max Verstappen on winning his Grand Slam in 2024. Hopefully he’s bought a new shelf to continue adding to the collection. his title.
