'When you go to Monza and Spa, such places evoke a lot of emotion and passion,' Verstappen said: Photo: Getty Images/Mario Renzi
Anyone who thinks Max Verstappen may have to bow out after he embarrassed Formula One bosses with his disparaging remarks about their new Las Grand Prix -Vegas' £500 million opening ceremony on Wednesday may want to think again.
Two days after calling the race «99 percent show, 1 percent sport» and saying he felt like a «clown» on stage, the three-time Red Bull world champion is at it again. If anything, Verstappen was even more outspoken this time.
Not content with describing Las Vegas as the «National League» compared to Monaco's «Champions League» after finishing third in qualifying behind two Ferraris, he began to dismiss «most of the fans» who come to these «show-off» races. business”, as from more interested partygoers. drinking and seeing a famous DJ rather than watching real racing. As Verstappen noted: “I can do it all over the world. I can go to Ibiza and have a blast and have a good time.”
Formula 1 executives must have been watching his latest thoughts through their fingers as they sat on one of the plush sofas in the paddock club. Las Vegas. After all the fuss about the hatch and the literal car crash that happened on Thursday, they needed more criticism of Verstappen like a hole in their head.
'A Formula 1 car doesn’t come to life on a street track. It's not that interesting. It's about the right race tracks.» Photo: AFP/Angela Weiss
The world champion is certainly a problem for them in such cases. While the views of a less experienced driver might be dismissed as irrelevant, Verstappen's words carry weight. But while Lewis Hamilton, say, might be expected to say something glowing about Vegas and the new audience Formula One hopes to attract here, Verstappen has no interest in the PR game. And he's not afraid to speak his mind.
Just like his oft-repeated comments about sports in general and how he might retire before he turns 30 because he «don't really like the direction Formula 1 is heading in, he may seem ungrateful. Bites the hand that feeds him.
But is it really that bad? Don't we want drivers to speak their mind even if it's not the party line? Hamilton has been praised for speaking out about human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, even if it embarrasses Formula One partners.
At least Verstappen is consistent. He always said that he would rather just race and have nothing to do with the show or the media. And if you read his full remarks carefully, you'll see that he actually made his point quite well. “I could go on for a long time,” Verstappen said when asked by the top three qualifying drivers about Formula 1 as a sport and entertainment. “I feel like the show is important, but I like the emotion. When I was little, it was all about the emotions of the sport I fell in love with, not the show.”
"No, I&# 39; there were better tracks in my life» 💬
Max Verstappen reacts to taking to the track in Las Vegas 👇 pic.twitter.com/RL5GlvFQre
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 17, 2023
“For a real driver, the show shouldn't matter. A Formula 1 car doesn't come to life on a street track. It's not that interesting. It's about the right race tracks.
“When you go to Monza and Spa, such places evoke a lot of emotion and passion. And for me to see the fans there is incredible. And when I jump into the car there, I light up and love driving to such places.
He added: “I understand that fans need something to do on the track, but it is more important that they understand what we do as a sport. Most of them just come to hang out, have a drink, or watch a DJ or performance.
“I can do this all over the world. People come here but become fans of what? They want to see maybe their favorite artist, have a drink with friends, and then go out and have a crazy night, but they don't understand what we do and what we risk to perform.< /p>
“If only more time was spent on the sport and what we are trying to achieve… as little kids we grew up wanting to be world champions if only the sport would pay more attention to things like that and explain what the team does throughout the season and what they work on. These things are much more important than these random performances all over the place.
“As for me, I'm not happy about it. I like passion and emotion. I love Vegas, but I don't like driving a Formula 1 car. I love to go out, have a few drinks, light everything up red, go crazy and eat good food. But the emotion and passion here is lacking compared to the old school tracks.”
Can you really fault it? Verstappen could have been more diplomatic. In such cases, when the stakes are so high, he could turn to the Fifth Council. But as he said Wednesday, he won't «pretend.» In a way, it's reassuring that he won't do it, and sports can't do it.
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