Martin Brundle says he doesn’t think Max Verstappen will quit F1 as long as the four-time world champion “can get a car he’s happy with”.
Verstappen said after Sunday’s third round of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix, that he was thinking seriously about his future in the sport, despite his frustration with the new car that will be introduced in 2026.
The biggest rule changes in F1 history saw the introduction of new power units and chassis, resulting in increased reliance on electrical energy, in an attempt to make the sport more sustainable.
Drivers have been divided on these cars, with Verstappen consistently being the most outspoken critic. Others, including seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, praised the more exciting racing the car produced.
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“His talent will be sorely missed,” Sky Sports pundit Brundle said on the latest episode of The F1 Show podcast.
“His generational speed and control of the car is something few have experienced in the history of motorsport. It’s quite extraordinary.”
Verstappen’s future was revealed to be a hot topic in the latest episode of The F1 Show, which was made available to watch on podcast platforms and YouTube, as he looked back at the Japanese Grand Prix weekend with Sky Sports F1’s Natalie Pinkham, David Croft and Martin Brundle.
Listen to the full episode below, including a detailed discussion of Verstappen’s future, the battle between Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, and Oliver Bearman’s “horrifying” high-speed crash.
“Max won’t run away if he can get a car he’s happy with.”
Verstappen insists his frustration comes from the feeling that competing in a new car is more about energy management than pure traditional speed or skill.
However, Brundle believes the 28-year-old Dutchman’s frustration has been significantly heightened by the fact that the Red Bull team have started the season well outside the benchmark set by Mercedes, which was keen to sign Verstappen this year.
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A lack of pace from Red Bull, which built its own engine for the first time in the team’s history, has prevented Verstappen from finishing in the top five in three consecutive races for the first time since the summer of 2017, just before he turned 20.
Verstappen has hinted that he has more interests outside of F1, which he hopes to pursue. He has his own sim racing team and has recently expanded into GT3, competing at the Nürburgring between China and Japan’s F1 races, ahead of competing in the circuit’s 24-hour endurance race scheduled for May.
Brundle continued: “Given that they are building their own powertrain for the first time, I have no doubt that his management team would have put in a severance clause at the end of the year to see what happens.
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“Mercedes says, ‘No, we don’t have a place at this particular inn at the moment.’ So we don’t know what he’s going to do. There’s no one who is essential to this business.
“I would be surprised if he really runs away from the race. It’s great to be at the Nurburgring. I’ve done it in the paddock – there’s 150 cars on the track. He’ll find the 24-hour race quite challenging and quite unstable.”
“But he has his own team. He loves it. He loves his sim racing. Do you think he will leave F1? No, I don’t, if he can get a car that he is happy with.”
F1 will resume with the second sprint weekend of the season, the Miami Grand Prix, from May 1-3, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
