Max Verstappen has announced that he will “hopefully stay in Formula 1 for a long time” – but it has to continue to be fun, which has nothing to do with results.
Max Verstappen’s fierce criticism that Formula 1 will be “like Formula E on steroids” in the future and will no longer be fun sparked speculation about the four-time world champion’s immediate future. But now the 28-year-old Dutchman is making his position clear.
When asked how long Verstappen plans to stay in Formula 1, he gives a clear answer: “Hopefully a long time,” says the Red Bull star in an interview with Viaplay, dispelling rumors that he is actually considering an early exit from Formula 1 due to the new regulations. “But that’s always very difficult to predict,” adds Verstappen, also with regard to Red Bull’s competitiveness. “It’s also hard to assess where we stand. And hopefully it won’t be too bad. Some tracks will definitely be better than others. But hopefully we’ll be able to enjoy it on Sunday.”
Max Verstappen: It still has to be fun!
However, Verstappen rules out the possibility that success alone will change his mind. “It has nothing to do with my results,” says the Red Bull driver. “You still have to enjoy what you do. Even if you’re the best in your profession—and it doesn’t matter if that’s racing—you have to enjoy it.”
“If you don’t enjoy going to work, it won’t last long. I think that applies to everyone. It wouldn’t be nice if you didn’t enjoy your work.” But the new Formula 1 regulations are not currently helping the Dutchman to really enjoy his job.
“In the end, anything you drive at the limit is difficult,” emphasizes the four-time world champion. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s a Formula 1 car, a GT car, or a road car. Some things are just more comfortable to drive than others.” Nevertheless, Verstappen’s original criticism remains: “Is this really what we want?”
Efficiency as an important factor in competitiveness
Verstappen is not yet ready to agree that drivers will make a bigger difference in the future, as Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies had said. “At the end of the day, you have a certain amount of energy that you can use per lap,” the 28-year-old reminds us.
“And of course it depends on how good your engine is or how efficient your car is on the straights. So a lot of things have to come together. But in terms of defending and attacking—because now everyone has their wings open on the straights—it will be different in terms of how you can overtake,” says Verstappen, adding that energy use in Melbourne will be “pretty limited.”
“So that will be very tricky,” said the Red Bull driver. “There are very few strong braking zones, lots of long straights. Small differences in how you can charge the battery have a huge impact on performance. It’s very complicated. That’s why we spend a lot of time in the simulator to optimize it as much as possible.”
Question marks “also make things interesting”
Overall, there are still a few question marks ahead of the season opener this coming weekend, Verstappen admits. Incidentally, this also applies to the spectators. “It will be complicated to understand and explain. I think that’s the main point.”
“At the end of the day, it’s still a Formula 1 car, a race car,” says the Dutchman. “There will still be qualifying and races. But I think it will take some time to get used to. Also when it comes to overtaking. I have no idea what that will be like. So there are a lot of question marks for everyone. And on the other hand, that also makes things interesting, because that’s exactly what the spectators will be paying attention to.”
