Max Verstappen has made no secret of his dislike for Formula 1’s 2026 regulations, with a greater emphasis on electric power and energy management now preponderant.
As he seeks and finds enjoyment elsewhere – namely racing GT3 cars in Germany’s NLS (Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie) – Verstappen is openly reconsidering his future in F1; he stated at the Japanese Grand Prix that he had “life” decisions to make.
If the Red Bull driver were to leave the world championship after all, he certainly would leave a void to fill as a megastar. Who would be the best drivers to fill that gap?
The answer depends on which angle you look at Verstappen from.
The generational talent
The fact that Verstappen was actively courted by two of F1’s biggest teams during his first – and eventually last – season in the single-seater ladder meant a lot.
Back in 2014, the hype around the 16-year-old spiralled as he took six European F3 wins in a row at Spa-Francorchamps and the Norisring. Mercedes could only offer a GP2 (now F2) seat for 2015, so Red Bull snapped him up with the mouthwatering prospect of a Toro Rosso drive.
Since then, Verstappen’s performance has more than warranted that gamble, with his raw speed and racecraft difficult to match for anyone.
Discounting Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, who are close to retirement, perhaps the closest driver to this credential is Charles Leclerc, at least in terms of raw speed. The Ferrari driver’s qualifying pace has always been remarkable; with 27 pole positions, he’s already near the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio, Mika Hakkinen and Niki Lauda in the history books, despite having never had a dominant car.
But in terms of stunning overtaking moves and exceptional car control, nobody really comes to mind.
However, it will be interesting to see how Kimi Antonelli develops, with the youngster fast-tracked into an F1 top team in a way even Verstappen wasn’t – and the potential the Italian showed in junior formulae warranted it.
The controversial racer
What makes Verstappen a megastar is also how controversial his driving style is. From this point of view, he’s akin to Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, both of whom wrote history in a contentious way at times.
Over the past 11 years, Verstappen has been uncompromising in wheel-to-wheel action, with his ethos best summed up as ‘yield or crash’. This became particularly prominent in the 2021 title battle against Hamilton, though the Dutchman hasn’t engaged in those shenanigans as much of late.
But, among the current field, nobody can really be likened to Verstappen in this area – not even Esteban Ocon, no, with his reputation among the general public very much unwarranted.
The hero of a nation
Before Verstappen, only one Dutch driver had scored more than four points and partaken in over 50 grands prix: his father Jos.
In other words, Max really developed the passion for F1 in the Netherlands – and the thousands of fans making up the ‘Orange Army’ at every circuit around the world show the extent of that devotion.
This is something few drivers achieved in the past, though Alonso comes to mind with Spain, which did not care much for F1 in the 20th century – the culture there was geared towards two-wheels.
If anyone achieves the same feat in the future, it might be Antonelli. Of course, Italians’ first love will always be Ferrari, but their cherished Scuderia hasn’t won any world titles since 2008.
Antonelli already is Italy’s first grand prix winner since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2006. The country hasn’t had a world champion since Alberto Ascari back in 1953, a time practically nobody can remember by now. If the 18-year-old ends up in a two-horse title race against team-mate George Russell, the country will be rooting for him.
The outspoken champion
As a general rule, sportspeople become more and more outspoken as they grow older. They aren’t as intimidated by the media side of their job, and they actually understand it better, so they’re aware of the pitfalls to avoid.
Verstappen, as far as he’s concerned, is simply unbothered by those pitfalls or any repercussions for his comments. If he’s got something to say, he will. And if he disliked a question three months earlier, he’ll now kick out the journalist who asked it.
To some extent, the Dutchman is not dissimilar to the other multiple world champions on the grid, Hamilton and Alonso, but perhaps the two veterans make a more conscious effort of figuring out when speaking up might be beneficial and when there’s no point engaging in slagging-off behaviour.
Most of the other current frontrunners are rather soft-spoken, be it Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri or Leclerc. Perhaps Russell has become the most forthright of this generation (barring Verstappen); the Briton has gained confidence as he became Mercedes’ team leader, also growing into his role as GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers' Association) director.
Interestingly, what’s Russell’s take on Verstappen’s potential exit? In a media session last week, he was asked whether F1 could survive without its four-time world champion.
“Well, Formula 1 is bigger than any driver, so…” the Englishman replied, before reconsidering his answer for a few seconds. “You wouldn't want to lose Max because I think we all enjoy racing against Max,” he added.
Russell went on to ponder Verstappen’s current discontent: “It's just part and parcel of Formula 1. I didn't enjoy driving the '22 car when it was porpoising up and down, killing everybody's backs. The car was big, it was heavy; the high-speed corners, it wasn't very pleasant to drive around. But he didn't have the same complaint because he was winning.
“Now, the complaints that he has currently are different to the complaints of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren, because we're at the front end of the grid. And this is only natural, and you do understand and recognise the frustration, but he's achieved what most drivers dream of, which is winning a championship. He's got four of them, and at the end of the day, I guess you get to a point in life that there's not really much more for him to achieve in Formula 1.
“He's ticked all the boxes, maybe he can go after the records, but knowing him as I do and knowing drivers who have won or achieved similar things, at one point you want to do what puts a smile on your face, and I can totally understand why driving the Nordschleife puts a smile on his face.
“I've driven hundreds of laps around the Nordschleife on the simulator and I would love to have that chance to go and race around the Nordschleife, but my goal now is to become a Formula 1 world champion. If I have four of them under my belt, I'd probably be doing the same. So, you know, he's in a very different stage of his career and yeah, I think you'd understand if he stayed and you'd understand if he went.”
Time will tell which path Verstappen will elect to follow.
