Is Max Verstappen really going to leave Formula 1 after all? After qualifying on Saturday in Canada, that possibility suddenly became real again. The reason is the blockade that some teams want to impose against changing the regulations for 2027. “If the change doesn’t go through, it will be a long year. And I don’t want that,” Verstappen said when asked in Montreal. “But let’s stay positive.”
Read more Verstappen is at his wit’s end: ‘The harder I drove there, the slower I went’
The change he refers to is the distribution of engine power: it is currently 50 percent combustion and 50 percent electric. After the Miami GP, there was broad consensus in Formula 1 to adjust to 60-40 in 2027. That would be enough for Verstappen to ‘just’ stay in F1, he said this week in Canada. But there is a possible hitch.
Some teams, reportedly Ferrari and Audi, want the change to take effect only in 2028. If they actually block things for 2027, that would still mean nothing changes next season. It does not mean Verstappen will stop then; he does not use that word. “But I can tell you: if it stays as it is now… we’ll just see.”
Read more Lando Norris sees opportunities from P3: ‘The weather will be different tomorrow’
It should be clear that Verstappen prefers to stay in F1. “Let’s stay positive,” he says sincerely. The intention is indeed still really that the change will come for next year. “There are now a few people (teams, ed.) who are making it difficult,” he knows. “But I think the FIA can be strong and then just has to decide that the teams simply have to do it.”
Williams driver Carlos Sainz said something similar earlier; the Spaniard thinks the FIA should stand firm. “And I agree with him,” Verstappen said. “Ultimately, this change is better for the whole sport.”
Read more Red Bull team principal Mekies on Verstappen’s deficit: ‘We are working hard to close the gap’
Read everything about the Canadian GP here
