Verstappen tipped to 'regret' F1 departure; competition would miss his 'wow' factor

The four-time F1 world champions has been critical of the current generation of cars for a long time, and usually did not mince his words about the matter. He said: "It's not fun at all, no. It's playing Mario Kart. This is not racing. Look at the racing, you are boosting past and then you run out of battery the next straight, they boost past you again. For me it's just a joke."

About his future in the sport, the Dutchman was cryptic in Japan. "Yeah, I don't get upset about it. I don't get disappointed or frustrated by it anymore with what's going on," he said at the Suzuka Circuit. "You know how I think about a lot of stuff, right? I don't need to mention it again. So a lot of stuff for me to personally figure out."

Speaking to a gambling website, former F1 driver Herbert argues against the Dutchman leaving the sport. "I think the word is that Max would regret leaving F1. Would he really turn his back on the ultimate formula in the world. I don’t think so. For him to walk away when he still offers so much wouldn’t make sense. It’s not just about what he offers for a team or the bubble of Formula 1 in the paddock…"

He added: "It’s the rest of the fans around the world that are thoroughly excited to see him on the racetrack. I don’t want to see him leave. He still has a lot to offer, and he’s still got that ‘Wow’ factor."