“I’m not enjoying myself at all,” Verstappen said when asked by GPblog whether he is currently really that frustrated by the new cars. “I don’t care where I qualify. Whether it’s at the front now or where I am now. Emotionally and in terms of feeling, it’s completely empty.”
Verstappen also indicated that he expects this to be a long Formula 1 season. “Yes, I’m already preparing myself for that mentally.”
Verstappen looking forward to 24 Hours of Nürburgring
The long season will most likely soon be interrupted by a month-long break. It’s not official yet, but it’s an known secret that the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will not take place. That gives Verstappen the chance to focus on racing in Germany. “Yes, at least I’ll enjoy that more. I already know that.”
There, with some extra preparatory races, Verstappen can get ready for the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring with his own team, Verstappen.com Racing. Asked whether he will also race more during that gap, Max said: “If it works out, also logistically with the team. But we’ll see then.”
Verstappen’s frustration didn’t come out of nowhere. The Dutchman has been warning about these new cars for quite some time. Max himself is therefore not surprised by how poor the cars are, and he doesn’t mince his words about it.
Verstappen done with F1
That makes Verstappen the only one speaking out so strongly. Many drivers agree with him that it’s terrible to drive, mainly because of the new engines, but no one is as completely done with it as Max is.
While Red Bull’s top brass hinted over the weekend that they would like to extend Verstappen’s contract, Verstappen himself seems to be struggling even to muster the effort to drive this car.
This should also ring alarm bells for Formula 1. How has F1 slipped so far that a four-time world champion would rather spend his time in GT cars than in an F1 machine? Is this really the pinnacle of motorsport, or is it, as Verstappen has already suggested, more like Formula E on steroids?