Max Verstappen never minces his words and he has recently said that he does not entirely agree with the way the sport is evolving. Stefano Domenicali, the CEO of F1, responds in a conversation with De Telegraaf.
If there is something that bothers Max Verstappen, he always lets it be known, under the motto: if it doesn’t sound, it will collide. He recently stated that he thinks there are too many races on the F1 calendar and that he is not a fan of the sprint races. Like other champions, such as Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen believes that the F1 cars are too heavy and themes such as track limits and the penalty points system are also not escaped by his opinion.
He has also made it clear on several occasions that his love for Formula 1 may one day be over if the sport develops in a way he no longer agrees with.
It’s totally ok for Max to express his opinion, but we shouldn’t put the sport in the hands of the drivers, Domenicali said. It’s not that they can’t be trusted, because I always listen to them. But they also need to look at the bigger picture and that’s not always the case.
I understand some of the criticism, they just want to drive as fast as possible. But we as an umbrella organization have a mandate to do what is best for the sport.
Drivers like Max Verstappen should not have too much power. Max is honest and I appreciate that, I agree with him on certain matters. But even my own opinion is not always decisive.
My job is to keep our eyes open and act in the interest of the sport. I also realize that certain decisions are difficult with certain fans who have been there for a long time, but we also have to think about the younger fans, and they are more open to change.
Change is normal in top sport. Traditional approaches are also being abandoned in other sports and Formula 1 is a forerunner in that area.