“Wouldn’t want to lose Max”: Russell’s honest take on Verstappen’s retirement talks

• Russell empathises with Verstappen as retirement rumours continue to swirl.
• Acknowledges Verstappen’s four titles while highlighting sport’s natural cycles.
• Stefano Domenicali urges Verstappen to respect F1’s growth and future.

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George Russell and Max Verstappen might beef sometimes over their on-track issues, but the former showcased an understanding of what could have led his rival to think about retirement.

During his media address, he revealed why it won’t be nice to lose Verstappen, but also stressed the ups and downs of the sport that come every year with evolving rules. He also spoke about Verstappen having achieved the back-to-back four titles, which many drivers still desire.

Verstappen’s potential retirement has been a hot topic around the paddock and F1 community ever since he slammed the new regs and revealed that he no longer enjoys the sport.

Some fans also think that instead of retiring, he should switch teams, potentially moving to big teams like Mercedes and McLaren. As retirement talks continue to linger, he recently gave a glimmer of hope to fans, revealing that he wants a fifth F1 title over winning a Le Mans series.

Russell’s stance on Verstappen’s potential retirement

In a recent conversation, Russell stressed that no driver is bigger than the sport while mentioning that nobody would want to lose Max, as they all love racing against him. However, he believes that the ups and downs are a part of the sport.

He provided an example of himself in 2022, stating, “I didn’t enjoy driving the 2022 car when it was porpoising up and down, killing everyone’s backs; it was a heavy car. But he didn’t have the same complaint because he was winning. The complaints he has currently are different to the complaints of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren because we’re at the front of the grid, that is only natural.”

Russell further went on about how Verstappen has won not one but four world championships, which still remains a dream for most drivers. Given his impressive title streak, he doesn’t think there’s more to achieve for him in the sport.

F1 president gives a reality check to Verstappen on F1 retirement

In a recent conversation with Autosport, Stefano Domenicali revealed that he had had private conversations with Verstappen about new regs and that those have been constructive. He believes that they will work together to improve the sport while also declaring him the “best driver” on the grid.

While he knows that his voice holds weight, he wants him to be overly cautious about the things he speaks out against the sport.

Moreover, he cautions that if Verstappen believes other sports championships are better than F1 at the moment, he might be mistaken. “In Italy, we say: ‘The grass is always greener on the other side.’ But once you think about it or experience it, you realise it’s not true. So I would tell Max to respect what we have built together,” he added.

He revealed that they will remain open to hearing drivers’ thoughts and suggestions about the sport, but won’t tolerate any games.