An overly commercial and complex Formula 1, now oriented only to entertainment, risks losing its charm and some of the most important protagonists. Max Verstappen, who already has two world titles with Red Bull, has never hidden his concern about it, and on the occasion of the first weekend Sprint a Baku, which will debut with a new format, reiterated his idea and how intensive exploitation of the category could lead him towards a new horizon, despite still being very young.
Max: "I like running, but is it worth it like this?"
Racing was born as a simple competition, with rather mild rules and with the aim of letting the track talk, the only one that decides the true value of a driver and a car. Although modern F1 has made enormous strides in terms of safety, it has also taken away the absolute power of deciding winners and losers from the track. He did so by complicating the regulations, expanding the calendar, exploiting the commercial potential of sport to the limit, which has also grown thanks to the commitment of Liberty Medium in catching a different slice of the public, that of young people, but also and above all thanks to the new talents that have blossomed in recent years, including Max Verstappen.
It is precisely with regard to some initiatives implemented by Liberty Media that Max has expressed his dissent several times, such as for the Netflix docu-series Drive To Survive, or the experiment of Sprint races. All very exciting products on paper but which would distort the sport he fell in love with and which risks becoming a gilded cage.
"I think I've always said that even if there won't be any more sprint races, if we keep expanding the calendar and the whole weekend is so long, at some point you ask yourself: is it worth it? – reported Max Verstappen answering a question from Motorsport.com. “I like racing. I like to win. I know, obviously, there's salary and everything, and you have a good life. But is it really? I think sometimes you get to a point in your career where maybe you want to do other things. My contract expires in 2028 and we'll see from there. But I know that if all this becomes too much of a burden, then we need to change.”
The Sprints according to Max "take some of the shine off the main event, (ie the Sunday race) which I think should always be the special event”.
The post-F1 future?
One of the ideas that fascinates Max outside of F1 is the Endurance world. Option he could evaluate if he gets tired of F1. A competition that would pit him not only against himself but also against a real team, maybe even made up of him and his father Jos. “Race with him in Endurance? I keep telling him that time is running out and he's getting old. But even if it won't be with my father, we'll see. I would like to create my own team. There are many things I would like to do other than drive myself.”
