“Max has earned the right to go and do whatever he wants,” said Norris. “It would be a shame and a miss for the sport if that does happen [Verstappen leaving], because he probably is one of the best drivers you’ll see in Formula One ever.
“As much as he makes our lives incredibly tough at times, he’s always good fun to race against ... you always feel like you want to race against the best in the world.”
Teammate Oscar Piastri agreed it would be a shame if Verstappen, who has a contract to 2028 but with known break clauses, left in his prime.
Nigel Mansell said he had “total sympathy” with Red Bull’s four-time world champion Max Verstappen in slamming Formula One’s new rules era but expects the governing FIA to make changes to get back to “proper racing”.
Red Bull’s Verstappen has been outspoken against the sacrifice of flat-out speed for energy management, calling the situation “fundamentally flawed”, while McLaren’s world champion Lando Norris has branded the racing “artificial”.
Mansell, the 1992 world champion with Williams who was nicknamed “Il Leone” by Ferrari fans for his raw speed and big-hearted bravery, told Reuters on Tuesday that he recognised their frustrations.
“I’ve got to echo and support the drivers 100%,” he said at an appearance to publicise a pop-up hotel, complete with pool and palm trees, for his home British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July.
“It’s very disappointing to have the stallion of all racing cars, Formula One, appearing in the first races, but they’re not actually racing at times. That’s very alien to the fans, certainly alien to a race car driver who’s trying to input their special skills into it.
Let Formula One be Formula One as it has been. It just needs tweaking. As long as they tweak it enough, happy days
“And I have total sympathy with Max. Would I have voiced it as strong as he has? Perhaps not ... but you know, what Lando says is perfect. What all the others have said is true. And I think the powers that be, they’re listening.”
Series of technical meetings before next race
Formula One’s governing body held an initial meeting of technical experts last Thursday to discuss possible changes to the regulations after the first three races, with several more sessions to come before the next race in Miami on May 3.
The new power units, split roughly 50-50 between electric and combustion power, have brought new challenges with drivers having to ease off the throttle early and coast into high-speed corners so the combustion engine can recharge the battery.
The FIA has scheduled a sporting regulations meeting on Wednesday with another technical session on Thursday this week. There will then be a “high-level meeting with representation from all stakeholders” on April 20 to seek a consensus on preferred options put forward.
Mansell hoped the cars would soon again be driven “as they should be” and warned it would be a huge mistake if they don’t tweak it enough.
“Hopefully, they will tweak it enough [so] that what we’ve been witnessing in the first couple of races won’t be carried forward into the next races,” he said.
The Briton also tipped seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton to come back strong after finally stepping onto the podium with Ferrari after a barren 2025 and at the age of 41.
“I’m sorry, I’m biased about Lewis. I think he’s fantastic; what he’s achieved is monumental,” said the 72-year-old. “If he’s given the goods to do the job, I still think he can win. And I think he has all the capabilities to win another world championship, which will be epic.
“I think you’ll see he’s got fire in his belly more now than ever. I think Ferrari could do extremely well this year once everyone stops coasting all the time and we can have proper racing again.
“Let Formula One be Formula One as it has been. It just needs tweaking. As long as they tweak it enough, happy days.”
Reuters
“I think Max has shown his calibre in the last 10 years and especially in the last five or six has been the benchmark,” he said. “So I think for everyone it would be a pretty big shame and obviously not a great look.”
Formula One announced changes to the rules on Monday, aimed at improving safety and addressing drivers’ concerns about how they go racing with hybrid power units now split roughly 50-50 between electric and combustion power.
Piastri admitted the tweaks were so technical, involving megajoules and kilowatt calculations, that even he struggled to explain them in simple terms.
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who had declared himself “beyond frustrated” after qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, said he was considering his future in the sport after finishing eighth in Sunday’s race at Suzuka.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, the Red Bull driver said his lack of enjoyment at driving the new generation of cars was making him question whether racing in the sport was still worth it.
“I’m thinking about everything inside this paddock,” he said in the interview.
“Privately I’m very happy.
“You also wait for 24 races. This time it’s 22. And then you think: Is it worth it?”
Verstappen has been an outspoken critic of Formula One’s new regulations and engine era.
He has repeatedly said his dissatisfaction doesn’t stem from Red Bull’s poor form but due to the new rules placing more emphasis on energy management than flat-out racing.
Sunday was the last race until May, with April’s Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds called off due to conflict in the Gulf.
Verstappen, who is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2028, said he had many pursuits beyond Formula One to keep him engaged.
The Dutchman recently competed in a sports car race at German track Nuerburgring’s fearsome Nordschleife layout in preparation for the 24 Hours of Nuerburgring race in May.
He also drove a Japanese GT car at Japan’s Fuji racetrack ahead of the weekend in Suzuka.
“But it’s a bit sad that we’re even talking about this. It is what it is. You don’t need to feel sorry for me. I’ll be fine,” he said.
Verstappen had won the past four races from pole in Japan, but it would have taken a major upset for that streak to continue in 2026, with sixth in the Australian season-opener in Melbourne still his best result of the campaign.
The 28-year-old has also made headlines for a clash with a British reporter, an incident that also raised questions about his general state of mind after losing his title last season to McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Formula One stakeholders are set to meet in the five-week break between Japan and the next race in Miami to take stock of the new rules and consider tweaks.
Verstappen, one of the sport’s biggest stars, told BBC Radio 5 Live the sport’s bosses “know what to do” to make sure he stays. — Abhishek Takle
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Reuters
“I still need to go through all the details of all the rules,” said the Australian. “I need someone smarter than me to explain what’s actually changed. But I think it’s a step in the right direction for sure.”
Piastri said he had tried to explain the rules to friends during the off-season, and it was a pretty long conversation with a lot of follow-up questions.
“But yeah, with the power units there’s not really an easy way to simplify them or the rules around them ... it’s always going to be a compromise, and that’s what we have.”
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