Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Craig Slater did some digging into Max Verstappen’s recent comments hinting at retirement, and he has a larger goal in mind.
After a disappointing outing at the Japanese Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver shocked fans, as Verstappen claimed he was seriously considering retirement.
His P8 finish was so disappointing for him that Verstappen admitted he was counting down the laps till the race was over.
The clearest indication yet that Max Verstappen could quit F1
Erik van Haren of De Telegraaf broke the story
Verstappen reportedly has a three-month window to trigger his Red Bull exit clause, which he might do if these issues persist.
However, it appears Max Verstappen isn’t keen on walking away from the sport. Rather, he is trying to force officials’ hands to return to pure racing regulations.
READ MORE: Karun Chandhok wants to see Max Verstappen drive the Racing Bulls car after Red Bull struggles
Max Verstappen reportedly wants F1 to return to ‘pure’ racing again
Craig Slater spoke on Sky Sports after Max Verstappen’s shocking comments recently and shared his perspective on the matter.
After hearing from Dutch reporters close to Verstappen, Slater noted that the Red Bull driver’s goal is to influence change in Formula 1 rather than actually walk away.
“He’s not happy with his racing life at the moment. To be fair to him, he has some principled problems with the way the current cars are set up.
“But I think, hearteningly, for Formula 1, he wants to work with FIA to try and improve things. He thinks the battery is too influential in the way the racing is right now. It’s a bit of a turn off for him…
“There’s been some question marks about his future in the sport; he’s given one or two answers after the race, where he’s hinted at his mind being elsewhere aside from F1.
“I’ve actually spoken to some Dutch journalist colleagues of mine who said he was not explicitly talking about walking away from the sport, but saying he had a lot of thinking to do over this enforced break we have over the next month. And that there is more to life than Formula 1.
“He became a father recently, so his life has changed. But I think what he wants to do, as maybe the number one driver in F1, the top talent in the sport as we speak right now, I think he sees it’s his position to influence F1 in the direction he thinks pure racing should be taking.
“Let’s hope he stays within the tent. But maybe he makes some headway in getting the sport back to where it needs to be – an absolute challenge of driver and car on the limit.”
READ MORE: What Max Verstappen’s F1 retirement threat means for Liam Lawson at Red Bull
If Max Verstappen retires from F1, who should Red Bull sign as his replacement?
Max Verstappen using pressure to influence change isn’t a good look
The Dutch driver found himself at the centre of controversy over the weekend, when Verstappen confronted a reporter over previous comments.
Many felt his negative reaction to the reporter, even kicking him out, reflected poorly on Verstappen when compared to previous greats.
This news will do his reputation no favours, as it makes Verstappen look bitter over losing his previous dominance, especially since he didn’t complain about the regulations when he and Red Bull were successful.
Hopefully, cooler heads prevail, and Verstappen chooses to stay in the sport even if his lobbying for changes to the new regulations does not yield the results he hopes for.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
