Five-time World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen has branded Formula 1 “the most boring sport imaginable” during a press conference at the prestigious Norway Chess 2025 tournament.
The Norwegian’s blunt assessment came following his commanding victory over current world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in the tournament’s opening round on 26 May, 2025. Carlsen’s comments, which characterised F1 racing as merely “driving around in a circle for a long time,” have drawn sharp criticism from F1 fans.
Speaking during the press conference after his impressive win against the 18-year-old grandmaster, Carlsen argued:
“Personally, I think Formula 1 is like the most boring sport imaginable. Like, you just drive around in a circle for a long time. Even going there… To be fair, the start is exhilarating for the pure power of the cars, but after that, very little happens, and it’s quite long-winded. And most people don’t really follow what’s going on.”
He went on to suggest that F1’s appeal mainly comes from external factors such as the personalities and marketing rather than the racing itself. He continued:
“People watch it, as Hikaru [Nakamura] was alluding to, because of personalities and marketing, right? So, I think there are very few things that, in themselves, like there are for most sports and so on, that there are other reasons why people get engaged.
“And in terms of personalities, well, Hikaru is a streamer, and you know, it comes very naturally to him. Personally, I get bored during games sometimes. That’s why I go. But I think we shouldn’t force anybody to… this is for voluntary entertainment.”
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Although the 34-year-old chess player’s remarks were aimed at F1 as a whole, they came after the Monaco Grand Prix, which is often criticised for its processional nature. With the aim of more exciting racing around the streets of Monte Carlo, a two-stop strategy was enforced this year.
However, many viewers weren’t happy with the effects it had on the racing as some teams used their drivers as “sacrificial lambs” to create a pitstop gaps for their drivers, resulting in a frustrating race for those stuck behind them, as well as for viewers.
Sky Sports F1 commentator and former driver Martin Brundle reflected on the rule change in his latest column. He argued:
“I was a little surprised that it wasn’t mandated for one of those stops to be taken by, say, half distance, or maybe earlier. It was clear from the outset that some teams at the back of the field may as well cycle through their stops relatively early with nothing much to lose, and those at the front of the field would take their second stop late to make the window of opportunity wider regarding safety cars and red flags.”
He added: “It was also immediately clear that teams could use one car as a sacrificial lamb driving slowly to help their other car have the necessary 21-second gap to take a pit stop.”
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