Much has been made of Max Verstappen’s ”threats” to quit Formula 1 and the Motorsport Storyteller shares his own thoughts on the topic, with the Dutchman having just finished his 24 Hours of Nürburgring adventure.
It seems like the eyes of the entire motorsport sphere looked upon the ”Green Hell”. Max Verstappen’s participation in the historic Nürburgring 24 Hour race, was a very much needed landmark.
The No.3 Verstappen.com Racing (Winward) Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo which he shared with Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon, was leading when -with only a few hours to go- the car faced a driveshaft problem that put the team out of contention. Now his attention shifts back to Red Bull, with the Canadian GP fast approaching.
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A big part of the 2026 Formula 1 season has been the Dutchman’s constant ”assault” on the new regulations, which have divided the fans and drivers to say the least. Many have felt tired by Verstappen’s criticism, though to be fueled by Red Bull’s underwhelming start, with Max having no wins, no podiums and only 26 points after four races.
Verstappen is no ordinary driver and that’s not for his remarkable talent and success. He is an avid GT Racing fan, a Sim-racing fanatic, with him competing online even during race weekends and above all a guy who -by his own words- wants to enjoy whatever he does. Theories have ranged as far as him taking a sabbatical in 2027, with his exploits at the Nordschleife bringing him evidently more joy at the present.
The sentiment among many is that Max should either quit the sport he apparently ”hates”, or he should simply ”put up and shut up” with it. Formula 1 is the biggest motorsport championship on Earth and does not necessarily need a Verstappen for it to succeed.
Should he quit, the sport will obviously take a ”hit” in the ratings and popularity, especially since there is potential for F1 to lose any or all of Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton by the end of 2026 or 2027.
But F1 will recover. It always does. Take yourselves back to the aftermath of the sport’s darkest weekend. After the 1994 San Marino GP there was no ”Superstar” left. Ayrton Senna was tragically killed, Alain Prost had retired, Nelson Piquet had already been gone for three years and Nigel Mansell was defending his CART title in the States.
Michael Schumacher was already considered a very good driver and a title-rival to Senna by he was not yet the phenomenon he would go on to be. Gerhard Berger, Jean Alesi, Damon Hill and Mika Hakkinen were not stars. Certainly not ones ready to carry the sport after the aforementioned ”Big 4” era that had just ended.
Such was the fear for Formula 1’s future, that as we know, Bernie Ecclestone pushed heavily and then got Mansell back onto the grid for four races. The sport though, recovered. Schumacher was catapulted into stardom after winning back to back titles, Hill became not just ”Graham’s son” but England’s hope after Mansell’s exit for good in 1995, Hakkinen then went on to rise to the level of a two-time world champion and the sport was further helped by Jacques Villeneuve joining in 1996, with him carrying one heavy legacy, Gilles’.
So Max walking away will only do short-term ”damage”. A driver like Kimi Antonelli will almost certainly take his place. But although F1 may not need Verstappen, the whole of motorsport does, as the title suggests.
Just take a look at Max’s impact on the Nürburgring 24 Hour race. For the first time ever the event was sold-out and record attendances were reported. Live streaming numbers went through the roof, while everyone with a motorsport website, suddenly found out what N24 is.
The last name of his caliber to compete was potentially Nelson Piquet in 1994 and that was in the analog age, where tweets and live-streams were not possible. Aside from the 24 Hour race, he also gave a massive boost the the NLS series and to the GT World Challenge Europe, where his team, Verstappen.com Racing competes.
The ”Verstappen effect” term has already been coined to describe his impact on such ”lesser known” series. More drivers have already started to think of adventures outside Formula 1, though their contracts will surely include such restrictions as not many are Max Verstappen.
Fernando Alonso had a similar buzz when he switched to the World Endurance Championship, where he won two titles with Toyota, but really there is no comparison, as WEC is already a much bigger series than the NLS, the GTWC or the IGTC (Intercontinental GT Challenge).
Also the Spaniard recently stated that he has no intentions of stopping racing any time soon, regardless of him staying in F1 or not. In comparison Verstappen has made it clear lots of times that he has no intentions of racing on forever, instead wanting to cherish the moments he will have with family and friends.
He could instead move on to other roles and still be active in the motorsport world, but i doubt you will see a 45-year old Verstappen competing full-time anywhere. Its more likely he will be taking care of Kelly and the kids and trading racing stories with Nelson and Nelson Jr.
The clock is ticking already, but for now Max Verstappen is a man whose impact is as valuable as gold in the global motorsport ecosphere, outside of Formula 1’s billions, investors, firms and luxury brands. If not for his driving exploits, then for his outspoken nature, love of driving and evident humble nature when competing amongst ”unknowns”.
In my opinion, at least.
