Verstappen Critical Of Super Busy F1 Life: 'Is Too Much'

Sunday, 24 December 2023 at 05:00

Max Verstappen voiced his disapproval of what every F1 driver has to put up with in terms of busy schedules and marketing activities.

The Dutchman is famous for giving his opinion without any filter, and he has been quite critical of F1 and the Las Vegas Grand Prix towards the end of the season.

His team principal, Christian Horner, explained the 26-year-old is in the sport purely because he loves racing and is not a fan of all the marketing activities and sponsor events associated with his job.

What's more, the F1 calendar keeps getting extended, and it is supposed to feature two more races next season. Verstappen said in a recent interview for his website:

"It’s enough, yes. I have always said 24 race weekends is too much. It’s not just the races either - everything around the races makes it difficult."

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On one hand, all the marketing activities and sponsorship events are what pay the bills for F1 teams and salaries for the drivers. On the other hand, the triple World Champion shared these activities take too much time away from him.

"All the marketing activities, the days in the simulator, and the personal sponsorship obligations. I don’t really have days to myself anymore."

Verstappen hinted in the past multiple times he's getting tired of everything that comes with Formula One and might end his career sooner than expected. When put to him whether everything around racing takes a lot of sacrifice, he said:

"Yes, and I talk about this often with the people around me. It all factors into the decision of how long you’re willing to carry on."

The oldest driver on the Formula One grid, Fernando Alonso, recently told the media the lifestyle of an F1 driver involves a lot of sacrifices, mainly in personal life.

While the Spanish matador loves F1 enough to endure all its negative sides, Verstappen hinted he has other dreams and might move on to something else rather soon. The Dutchman is already working on his own GT3 team.