F1 'doesn't need' Max Verstappen - legend claps back

Max Verstappen

F1 'doesn't need' Max Verstappen - legend claps back

Max Verstappen could well be off at the end of the season

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 3 April 2026 20:58

A former F1 racer has suggested that the sport does not need to keep four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

Wholesale regulation changes were brought into the sport at the start of this year, and Verstappen has said that the new cars are not fun to drive, while reports in the Dutch media after the Japanese Grand Prix claimed that he is 'seriously considering' retiring from F1.

Verstappen has plenty of other racing hobbies away from F1, including GT racing and sim racing, and he is due to race in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring race later in May.

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The Dutchman has said whether or not he continues in F1 will depend on whether the FIA and Formula One Management decide to make changes to the rules ahead of 2027, which is currently set to be the penultimate year of Verstappen's current Red Bull contract.

But now, former Ferrari F1 driver Eddie Irvine has said that the sport don't need to try and keep Verstappen in F1 because of the amount of other talented drivers who are already making this 2026 season an exciting one in terms of the championship battle.

"F1 doesn't need Max, there are plenty of talented drivers," Irvine told Gazzetta. "It's tough for him to find himself in the middle of the pack, but considering his salary, there are over €50 million in good reasons to stay."

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Can Verstappen and Red Bull turn things around?

As mentioned by Irvine, part of Verstappen's disillusionment with the sport at the moment is likely down to the fact that he and his Red Bull team are struggling in the midfield.

Since starting their new era of power unit production, the team's best grand prix result is sixth, earned by Verstappen at the Australian Grand Prix.

The Dutchman is currently sat down in ninth in the drivers' championship with just 12 points from the opening three race weekends of the season. Hardly a points tally fit for a four-time champion of the sport.

Verstappen is already 60 points behind early championship leader Kimi Antonelli, and Red Bull look to be a long way behind Ferrari, McLaren and especially Mercedes.

The team will be working hard in this five-week break from the 2026 season to try and provide Verstappen and Isack Hadjar with a better chance of challenging for a podium at the Miami GP in May.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Eddie Irvine