(Motorsport-Total.com) – Max Verstappen makes no secret of the fact that he doesn’t like the new Formula 1 rules for 2026, which place an even stronger emphasis on electric drive and energy management than before.
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While he is looking for fun elsewhere and finding it – namely in GT3 races in the NLS (Nürburgring Endurance Series) – Verstappen is openly thinking about his future in Formula 1. At the Japanese Grand Prix, he said he had “life decisions” to make.
Should the Red Bull driver actually leave the premier class, he would leave a big void as a superstar. So who could fill it? The answer depends on the perspective from which one views Verstappen.
The Generational Talent
The fact that Verstappen was courted by two of the premier class’s biggest teams in his first – and ultimately only – season in single-seater racing before Formula 1 says a lot.
In 2014, the hype surrounding the 16-year-old exploded when he took six consecutive victories in the Formula 3 European Championship at Spa and Norisring. Mercedes could only offer him a GP2 cockpit (now Formula 2) for 2015, so Red Bull seized the opportunity – with the tempting prospect of a Toro Rosso cockpit in Formula 1.
Since then, Verstappen has more than justified this risk. His speed and racing instinct are almost unmatched. Excluding Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, who are nearing the end of their careers, Charles Leclerc probably comes closest to this profile – at least in terms of pure speed.
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The Ferrari driver’s qualifying pace has always been remarkable. With 27 pole positions, he is already close to Juan Manuel Fangio, Mika Häkkinen, and Niki Lauda in the history books, even though he never had a dominant car.
However, when it comes to spectacular overtaking maneuvers and exceptional car control, no one currently comes to mind. It will be exciting to see how Kimi Antonelli develops. The young Italian was promoted to a top team even faster than Verstappen himself – and his potential in the junior series justified that.
The Controversial Racer
What also makes Verstappen a superstar is the controversy surrounding his driving style. In this respect, he is reminiscent of Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, who also made history in partly controversial ways.
In the past eleven years, Verstappen has been uncompromising in direct duels. His philosophy can best be described as “yield or crash.” This was particularly evident in the 2021 title fight against Lewis Hamilton, even if the Dutchman has acted less aggressively recently.
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In the current field, no one is truly comparable to him in this regard.
The Hero of a Nation
Before Verstappen, only one Dutch driver had scored more than four points and competed in over 50 Grands Prix: his father Jos. In other words, Max truly ignited the enthusiasm for Formula 1 in the Netherlands, and the thousands of “Orange Army” fans at racetracks worldwide show how great this dedication is.
Few drivers have achieved this. Fernando Alonso comes to mind here: Spain showed little interest in Formula 1 in the 20th century, as the focus was more on motorcycle racing.
Should someone repeat this in the future, it could be Kimi Antonelli. Of course, the Italians’ first love is always Ferrari, but the Scuderia hasn’t won a title since 2008.
Antonelli is already the first Italian Grand Prix winner since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2006. The last world champion was Alberto Ascari in 1953 – a time practically no one remembers today. Should the 18-year-old get into a title fight against teammate George Russell, the country would stand behind him.
The Opinionated Champion
As a rule, athletes become more open as they get older. They are less intimidated by the media side of their job and understand it better, knowing what pitfalls exist.
Verstappen, on the other hand, seems to care little about these pitfalls or possible consequences. If he wants to say something, he does. And if he didn’t like a question three months ago, he simply throws out the journalist in question today.
In a way, he resembles the other multiple world champions in the field, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. However, the two veterans seem to more consciously weigh when it makes sense to speak out and when there’s no point in engaging in verbal altercations.
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Most other current top drivers are rather reserved, be it Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, or Charles Leclerc. Perhaps George Russell is the most direct representative of this generation (apart from Verstappen). He has gained confidence as a team leader at Mercedes and has also grown in his role as GPDA director.
Russell’s view on a possible Verstappen departure is interesting. In a media round, he was recently asked if Formula 1 could survive without the four-time world champion. “Formula 1 is bigger than any single driver,” Russell said there.
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Time will tell which path Verstappen will take.