Max Verstappen has made a huge admission amid his continued criticism of Formula 1 bosses Liberty Media.
Max Verstappen has interestingly admitted that he understands why certain decisions are being made to make Formula 1 more entertaining, with him sharing his view that if he “was the owner”, he “wouldn’t listen to the drivers”.
Verstappen has been the biggest critic of the recent changes made by Liberty Media, including the return of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
F1 historically promoted the event in Sin City themselves, the first time they’d ever done such a thing.
Several events were put on in the build-up to the Grand Prix, resulting in Verstappen admitting that the event was “99% show, 1% sporting race”.
He went onto admit that he felt “like a clown” during the pre-weekend driver ceremony, with his public criticism having resulted in his father speaking to him to watch his words.
Of course, despite being the event’s biggest critic, Verstappen went onto win the Las Vegas GP.
It’s not just Las Vegas Verstappen was against, as his biggest issue with F1 over recent years is the arrival of Sprint races.
Since they were initially discussed, Verstappen has voiced his concerns of the 100km race and how the sport should stick to its traditional format.
Introducing Sprint races in 2021 was done to improve the overall spectacle for fans, with the six Sprint venues for 2024 having only recently been announced.
Verstappen is often victorious in the Sprints yet is still completely against them, to the extent that he’s threatened to quit F1 if further changes to the format are made.
However, despite his dissatisfaction, he understands why the sport have introduced them and has admitted that if he were in their position, he “wouldn’t listen to the drivers”.
“My salary didn’t grow because of the sport growing. I fully understand [F1’s position], and you can look at it two ways: the business side and the sport side,” Verstappen told reporters, as per RacingNews365.
“Of course, I understand their side as well, but I am just voicing my opinion on the performance side. We are not stakeholders, so I just go with it, and they decide what they do.
“I would do the same if I was the owner, I wouldn’t listen to the drivers, it is my sport and I would do what I want if that was the case, but when I am asked a question, I want to try and answer it in an honest way.”
