Verstappen lashes out: "At some point this isn't worth it anymore"

Max Verstappen feels himself becoming increasingly alienated from Formula 1. The two-time world champion has lashed out at Formula 1's recently announced plans, stressing that, in his opinion, it will certainly not do the sport any good if the current trajectory continues.

It was announced this weekend that Formula 1 is considering a drastic change around the sprint weekend. The sprint race is to become its own standalone mini-race, thus no longer determining the Grand Prix starting grid. The news follows a week of speculation after Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali suggested that the sport could also do without the free practice sessions. Although Domenicali later nuanced those statements somewhat, he did stress that the sport should not be afraid to try new things in terms of the format of a race weekend.

For Verstappen, it all makes him see the exit beckoning more and more. " I'm not going to stop until 2028, but none of this helps when I have to start making a decision to continue after that," Verstappen told De Telegraaf. "I have already talked to Formula 1 management and explained how I see it. It's good and very normal, that we keep communicating with each other to present the best product to the fans. I am curious to see what will happen."

'Racing is my life, but at some point this isn't worth it anymore'

"The weekends will be even busier and more intense that way," Verstappen said of the new sprint race format. The reigning world champion states in no uncertain terms that he is not in favour of the idea. "There are already so many races. After all, in the coming years Formula 1 wants to move towards seasons with 24 or 25 races. In my view, that is not good for the sport. I do understand them, because they want to sell more tickets and make each day more interesting for spectators. But if we go to more and more races, then I have no desire to do that. Racing is my life, but at some point this is no longer worth being away from home so much. Then I want to do other things as well."