mark webber about max: “viewed holistically, looking at the sport as a whole: if you have someone like him... types like verstappen are exactly what the sport needs. we need these people. people turn on the TV for max verstappen, and liberty media knows that. the teams know that. he is important.
[..] it is very important that we keep max in the sport, because he lifts every driver on the grid to a higher level, and that is what formula 1 is all about. you need to be constantly pushed.
it’s just like rafael nadal and roger federer. if rafa isn't there, is roger lifted to that higher level as well, and vice versa? you need someone who gives you sleepless nights, and verstappen has been doing that for a very long time.”
[racingnews365]
Max has been vocal about these cars/regs since 2023, while dominating the field.
He has been vocal about Sprint races despite having the most wins.
He has been vocal about street tracks while winning most of them in recent years.
Max speaks up because he wants the sport to be better.
Lewis: “Come on Max, give it all you got. Come on, we need you.”
Max: [laughter] “You want me to repeat what I said yesterday?
Lewis: “We need you, so we can get - to wherever we need to go.”
There are some real misunderstandings here about the grumbling surrounding the regulations.
I’ve seen several voices claiming that people upset about the regs are just “sour grapes” because it looks like Mercedes will dominate.
That’s a mistaken take.
People and drivers are aggrieved and extremely disappointed in the inherent NATURE of the regulations, and how the cars must be driven (not driven, as the case may be), and how heinously offensive it is to watch. That will not change no matter what the development trajectory looks like.
The product on track looks offensive. It’s awful. And it’s inherent to the nature of the regs - it’s not changing.
Harvesting for such electrification means a permanent and unchangeable sacrifice of driver differentiation in high speed. That is obvious at this point, the needs of the regulation mandate this. There’s no room to engineer around this, physics is physics.
And that is a damning, heinous thing to watch. It’s so anti-racing and so anti-F1 that it’s an exercise in cognitive dissonance watching an onboard.
I hope to goodness that we all refuse to try and condition ourselves to accept this as “normal” or just “something to get used to”.
It’s not about parity, it’s not about who is in front or behind. You may or may not believe me when I say that, but this product would be no better if Ferrari were 2 seconds ahead of everyone.
This is not F1.
And I hope there is a swift and decisive fix, and a colossal push toward regulatory overhaul by 2029 with turbo V8’s with mild hybrid assist (turbo lag mitigation) and sustainable fuels. That is the solution.
🗣️ Max: 'If I have to drive this car, last year's car, or even a shopping trolley, I'll drive it to the limit of what a shopping trolley can do."
"You try to adapt to whats needed. That's what you're here for. Good drivers will always come out on top."
https://t.co/AXxp3HRNzU
Cette sensation de vitesse à l’écran qu’on a perdu depuis l’arrivée des F1 à effet de sol en 2022 bordel…
Qu’est-ce que je donnerai pour revenir en 2021 et revivre ça… 😞
#F1#F1Testing