Verstappen and the retirement hypothesis
F1 turns off the engines but lights up ideas. The Circus, forced to pause due to the war in Iran, is looking at itself in the mirror to change what clearly isn’t working: we are at the dawn of the new regulations, so there is time to intervene, but action must be taken immediately to not lose the fans’ interest. And the meeting on April 9 in London will serve exactly this purpose.
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Encouraging a regulatory shift is also the specter of losing Max Verstappen, who has repeatedly threatened to leave F1 if it continues to stifle the drivers’ driving, not only in Saturday qualifying (where pushing to the limit even becomes counterproductive) but also in the race, with artificial overtakes and safety issues.
Mekies’ words
The possible departure of Verstappen, naturally, is a scenario that would weaken not only the sport but also Red Bull. Team principal Laurent Mekies, however, does not seem worried about this hypothesis: “At the moment we are not talking about retirement with Max. We are thoroughly analyzing how to go faster with our car. He is passionate about F1 and wants to contribute so that F1 goes in the right direction. And so he clearly expresses the changes he considers necessary to give his best in qualifying and to compete in good races“.
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“We have the tools to modify the regulations so that in qualifying we return to pushing full throttle while maintaining all the positive aspects we see in races. If we do this, I have full confidence that Max will continue to see what we all see, namely that on the grid there are still the 22 best drivers in the world and the fastest cars on the planet. If you came to Milton Keynes you would see the fire behind every door. And you would understand why we are not thinking about the driver market in 2027. We are thinking about having a fast car. And if we have a fast car, there will be no discussion about what Max will do next year“, concluded the former Ferrari man. So, he is of the opinion that Verstappen’s discomfort is mainly caused by Red Bull’s poor performance.
