Ralf Schumacher crushes Max Verstappen and sides with Formula 1

Max Verstappen in the last period is considering retirement, as he was disappointed by the new rules: “I want to drive in F1 to have fun, but now I’m not succeeding.” Moreover, the Dutch driver himself has already admitted that he is not ruling out the possibility of taking advantage of the exit clause in his contract with Red Bull, should he not finish in the top two places at the end of the current World Championship. Commenting on all of this was Ralf Schumacher at Sky Deutschland’s Backstage Boxengasse podcast.

The brother of the legendary Michael, from a certain point of view, was astonished by these statements from the Red Bull standard bearer: “Being in F1 is something special. Of course, he can always say he’s had enough, but I can’t imagine him giving it up so soon. And then there is the chance to travel and challenge the best drivers in the world.”

According to the former driver, Formula 1 itself is much bigger than Max Verstappen: “Formula 1 is bigger than any of us. Whether it’s Bernie Ecclestone or any driver, if they were gone tomorrow what would happen to F1? To put it bluntly, if Max Verstappen retired, it would be the same thing.” Moreover, according to him, it would not be a ‘tragedy’ for Red Bull: “If he doesn’t want to race in Formula 1 anymore, it will be taken note of and Red Bull will look for a new driver.”

Finally, Ralf said that the Dutch driver has gone too far with his terms towards Red Bull: “His statements are not correct towards them, Max has to be careful.” Max Verstappen, however, continues his media fight, recalling that he previously stated that “…it feels like driving Formula E on steroids” and that “…it feels like playing Mario Kart.” During Sprint qualifying in Shanghai, he added, “I can’t do it, this car is unrideable.” For his part, the Red Bull is doing what it can to accommodate him: “It’s been tough Max, we’re sorry. There’s a lot to figure out, we need to get as much insight as we can. We will try again.”