Author: Barkha Roy
Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion and Red Bull driver, has expressed concern about his future in Formula 1 due to the sport’s intention to increase the number and format of races.
Verstappen believes that F1 needs to remain a “healthy option” and if it doesn’t, he may have to consider retiring from the sport. He asked sports chiefs to shorten the weekend rather than increase the number of sessions.
F1 recently introduced a new system at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where a second qualifying session was added, and the grid for the standalone event was determined by a sprint race. This means that the result of the speed race will no longer determine the starting order for the Grand Prix on Sunday.
Verstappen had already spoken of his intention to retire early if executives continue to move away from the spirit of the sport as rumours of rule changes spread. He said that the weekend gets very intense with all these changes, and he’s not a fan of that at all. Verstappen hopes there won’t be too many changes, otherwise he won’t be around for long.
The Dutch star also revealed at the end of last year that the more races on the annual calendar, the less time he has to spend with his family, and that’s something he values a lot – in fact, more than driving in a race. Therefore, he feels that Red Bull’s performance before the end of his contract would also be a factor when contemplating his future.
The current F1 season consists of 23 races in a year, starting in March and running until November, but the FIA plans to increase the number of races to a total of 30 by the end of 2030.
At the recent Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Max came second in qualifying behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. In the sprints, he came third behind Leclerc and teammate Sergio Perez. Similarly, in the third speed race, he again came third, behind teammate Perez and Leclerc. Finally, in the main race, he finished second behind Perez.
He now leads the drivers’ championship with 93 points, six more than team-mate Perez, who is second in the table.