Two of Max Verstappen’s current on-track rivals from the McLaren team have issued a stark warning: if the four-time Formula One world champion makes good on his repeated hints to leave the sport, the entire series would be significantly worse off.
The 28-year-old Dutch driver, who claimed four straight consecutive drivers’ titles between 2021 and 2024 after a narrow miss of a fifth championship the season before, has had a rocky start to the 2025 campaign with Red Bull, as Mercedes, Ferrari and his current rivals McLaren have closed the performance gap on his team.
Verstappen’s growing frustration with F1 centers largely on the sport’s sweeping 2026 regulatory overhaul, a set of rule changes that will shift competition to prioritize electric energy management during both qualifying sessions and grand prix races, while also imposing new limits on maximum car speeds. He has not shied away from public criticism, even comparing the new direction of F1 to “Formula E on steroids” and the casual arcade racing video game Mario Kart. Beyond rule changes, he has also openly voiced dissatisfaction with the performance of his 2025 Red Bull race car, and hinted at a growing desire to shift focus to endurance racing to spend more time with his family, comments he made most recently following last month’s Japanese Grand Prix.
Speaking to reporters this Wednesday, McLaren’s young driver line-up of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both echoed the same sentiment: losing Verstappen would be a major blow to the sport. 25-year-old Australian Piastri argued that every driver on the grid wants to test themselves against the best competition possible, and Verstappen has more than earned that status over the past decade.
“I think it would be a big loss for the sport as a whole. I think for us as drivers we want to race against the best and try and prove ourselves against the best,” Piastri said. He added that Verstappen has “shown his calibre in the last 10 years” and has stood as the benchmark for F1 performance “for the last five or six” seasons.
Norris, the 2025 defending world champion, echoed that assessment, noting that Verstappen’s legacy already places him among the greatest drivers to ever compete in F1. He also praised the Dutchman’s candid approach to speaking his mind, a trait that has made him a distinct, compelling figure for fans even among those who disagree with his views.
“It would be a shame for the sport, it would be a miss for the sport if that does happen, because he probably is one of the best drivers you’ll see in Formula One ever,” Norris said. “He’s always been very open to say what he thinks, whether you agree or not.”