Former Red Bull driver Mark Webber believes it is crucial for Formula 1 not to lose Max Verstappen, especially because his presence pushes all his rivals to constantly raise their level.
Read more Red Bull wide opens the door to the return of V8 engines in F1
Verstappen has never hidden his dissatisfaction with the current F1 regulations, leaving open the possibility of leaving at the end of the season.
However, his father Jos Verstappen as well as FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem do not believe he will actually leave the championship.
The champion’s frustration
The four-time world champion continues to think about his future nonetheless. Even after the regulatory adjustments made before the Miami Grand Prix and the performance improvement of the RB22, Verstappen was still not satisfied.
The question then becomes: what needs to be done to convince the Dutchman to stay? Especially since he himself explained that having a winning car would not necessarily change his opinion about the current cars.
For Webber, the entire sport — from the F1 owners to the teams, including the fans — has every interest in keeping Verstappen in the paddock.
“Obviously, Red Bull would like Max to stay,” Webber said. “It’s extremely easy to predict.”
Read more Masterful double win for BMW Hypercar in WEC at the 6 Hours of Spa: at the end of the suspense!
“He earned the right to choose”
But the Australian believes the issue goes far beyond the Austrian team: “If you look at the sport as a whole, when you have someone like him, characters like Verstappen are exactly what Formula 1 needs. We need these people.”
According to him, Verstappen has become one of the main attractions of the discipline: “People turn on their TV to see Max Verstappen, and Liberty knows it. The teams know it too. He is important.”
Webber nevertheless understands why Verstappen is considering other options after having already won everything: “If the stimuli decrease for him, with all his experience — and I am absolutely not saying he is losing his motivation — then naturally it can gradually erode. And he has earned the right to make his own choices.”
“He raises the whole field”
The former driver also highlights the exceptional record of the Dutch driver: “He already has a huge trophy room, he performs year after year, and that gives him opportunities.”
Despite this, Webber remains convinced that F1 absolutely must keep Verstappen: “It is really important that Max stays in this sport, because he pushes all the other drivers on the grid to surpass themselves. And that is precisely what Formula 1 is: constantly being forced to rise.”
Read more Kimi Antonelli already under pressure: Montoya issues a warning to Mercedes