Piastri says Verstappen departure would be ‘not a great look’ but Norris thinks he’ll stay

Oscar Piastri says it would be a shame for Formula 1 and “not a great look” if Max Verstappen left the sport at the end of the season, but Lando Norris believes he is likely to stay.

Four-time world champion Verstappen has openly stated he is considering his future in F1 as a result of not enjoying the new regulations, criticizing the impact they have had on driving and racing. With changes being introduced for Miami, Piastri says he hops Verstappen opts to keep racing in F1, and that his departure would be particularly significant given the Dutchman is just 28 years old.

“It would be a shame if that does end up happening,” Piastri said. “Clearly the Red Bull doesn't look like the most competitive car at the moment. The regulations are obviously being worked on, but they've needed quite a lot of work and they're certainly more complex, so I think it would be a shame for the sport to lose Max. Especially at this point in his career as well, I think it would be a big loss for the sport as a whole.

“I think for us as drivers, we want to race against the best and try and prove ourselves against the best. I think Max has shown his caliber in the last 10 years and I think especially the last five or six he's been the benchmark, so I think for everyone it would be a pretty big shame and obviously not a great look.”

Speaking alongside Piastri, Norris concurred with many of his teammate’s comments but highlighted a recent quote attributed to Verstappen that said he’d prioritize winning a fifth drivers’ championship over a Le Mans 24 Hours victory.

“Max has earned the right to go and do whatever he wants,” Norris said. “He's won four championships. And he's always been that guy, not just now – he's always been very open to say what he thinks. Whether you agree or not, or whether you should say it or shouldn’t, he's himself and I think that's a very good way to live your life.

“So it would be a shame for the sport – it would be a miss for the sport if that does happen, because he probably is one of the best drivers you'll see in Formula 1 ever. And I think it would be a shame for us, because I think as much as he makes our lives incredibly tough at times, he's always good fun to race against and it's always cool to race against someone that's won four championships.

“You always feel like you want to race against the best in the world and he certainly is one of them, so it would be a loss for the sport. But to be honest I also enjoyed watching the GTs on the weekend and if he gives me something to go watch and watch him in other categories, that's also a good thing for me!

“It would be a shame, but he's also driven some of the best cars. I think it's relative for people, because when you see the new guys who are coming in and this is their first year in Formula 1, everyone is like, ‘Yeah these cars are sick!’ The guys who have driven last year's cars and some of the previous ones, of course we have something to compare against and it's all kind of relative for everyone, but hopefully things get better.

“I just saw he said he wants to win a fifth world championship, so I'm sure he'll stay longer than people say.”