Red Bull Chief Reveals Max Verstappen in a serious discusion to Quit Formula 1 Over…
Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko believes Max Verstappen is serious about walking away from Formula 1 as the fallout from his row with FIA lingers on.
The three-time world champion made his frustration with world motorsport’s governing body clear during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend last week.
“I don’t know how seriously they will take that kind of stuff but for me, at one point, when it’s enough, it’s enough,” he said.
“We’ll see. Everything will go on, I have no doubt. It’s not a problem because Formula 1 will go on without me, but it’s also not a problem for me.
“So it’s how it is.”
Verstappen’s frustration stemmed from FIA’s hard line on drivers swearing.
The 27-year-old dismissed the approach as too sensitive after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem asked drivers to rein in their language and called for Formula One Management to avoid broadcasting radio messages that contain swearing.
Verstappen was subsequently punished for using the F-word to describe Red Bull’s performances and reacted to his ban by delivering monosyllabic answers during FIA press conferences over the weekend.
Verstappen’s words aren’t an empty threat
Speaking to German publication Motorsport-Total, Marko warned Verstappen’s words weren’t an empty threat.
“You have to take Max seriously,” he said.
“He has achieved a great deal, but it is important to him that he also enjoys the whole sport.
“If that is increasingly spoiled for him, then he is of a character that when he says, ‘OK, that’s it,’ he means it seriously, but I hope that the current situation won’t really cause him to retire soon.”
