{"id":623747,"date":"2026-04-22T15:00:38","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T15:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/623747\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T15:00:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T15:00:38","slug":"who-will-replace-max-verstappen-as-f1s-megastar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/623747\/","title":{"rendered":"Who will replace Max Verstappen as F1\u2019s megastar?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Max Verstappen<\/a> has made no secret of his dislike for Formula 1\u2019s 2026 regulations, with a greater emphasis on electric power and energy management now preponderant.<\/p>\n

As he seeks and finds enjoyment elsewhere \u2013 namely racing GT3 cars in Germany\u2019s NLS (Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie) \u2013 Verstappen is openly reconsidering his future in F1; he stated at the Japanese Grand Prix that he had \u201clife\u201d decisions to make.<\/p>\n

If the Red Bull driver were to leave the world championship after all, he certainly would leave a void to fill as a megastar. Who would be the best drivers to fill that gap?<\/p>\n

The answer depends on which angle you look at Verstappen from.<\/p>\n

The generational talent
\n \"Max <\/p>\n

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB12<\/p>\n

Photo by: Clive Mason\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The fact that Verstappen was actively courted by two of F1\u2019s biggest teams during his first \u2013 and eventually last \u2013 season in the single-seater ladder\u00a0meant a lot.<\/p>\n

Back in 2014, the hype around the 16-year-old spiralled as he took six European F3 wins in a row at Spa-Francorchamps and the Norisring. Mercedes<\/a> could only offer a GP2 (now F2) seat for 2015, so Red Bull snapped him up with the mouthwatering prospect of a Toro Rosso drive.<\/p>\n

Since then, Verstappen\u2019s performance has more than warranted that gamble, with his raw speed and racecraft difficult to match for anyone.<\/p>\n

Discounting Lewis Hamilton<\/a> and Fernando Alonso<\/a>, who are close to retirement, perhaps the closest driver to this credential is Charles Leclerc<\/a>, at least in terms of raw speed. The Ferrari<\/a> driver\u2019s qualifying pace has always been remarkable; with 27 pole positions, he\u2019s already near the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio<\/a>, Mika Hakkinen<\/a> and Niki Lauda<\/a> in the history books, despite having never had a dominant car.<\/p>\n

But in terms of stunning overtaking moves and exceptional car control, nobody really comes to mind.<\/p>\n

However, it will be interesting to see how Kimi Antonelli<\/a> develops, with the youngster fast-tracked into an F1 top team in a way even Verstappen wasn\u2019t \u2013 and the potential the Italian showed in junior formulae warranted it.<\/p>\n

The controversial racer
\n \"Max <\/p>\n

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, battles with Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes<\/p>\n

Photo by: Charles Coates \/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

What makes Verstappen a megastar is also how controversial his driving style is. From this point of view, he\u2019s akin to Ayrton Senna<\/a> and Michael Schumacher<\/a>, both of whom wrote history in a contentious way at times.<\/p>\n

Over the past 11 years, Verstappen has been uncompromising in wheel-to-wheel action, with his ethos best summed up as \u2018yield or crash\u2019. This became particularly prominent in the 2021 title battle against Hamilton, though the Dutchman hasn\u2019t engaged in those shenanigans as much of late.<\/p>\n

But, among the current field, nobody can really be likened to Verstappen in this area \u2013 not even Esteban Ocon<\/a>, no, with his reputation among the general public very much unwarranted.<\/p>\n

The hero of a nation
\n \"Fan <\/p>\n

Fan of Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing<\/p>\n

Photo by: Peter Fox \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Before Verstappen, only one Dutch driver had scored more than four points and partaken in over 50 grands prix: his father Jos.<\/p>\n

In other words, Max really developed the passion for F1 in the Netherlands \u2013 and the thousands of fans making up the \u2018Orange Army\u2019 at every circuit around the world show the extent of that devotion.<\/p>\n

This is something few drivers achieved in the past, though Alonso comes to mind with Spain, which did not care much for F1 in the 20th century \u2013 the culture there was geared towards two-wheels.<\/p>\n

If anyone achieves the same feat in the future, it might be Antonelli. Of course, Italians\u2019 first love will always be Ferrari, but their cherished Scuderia hasn\u2019t won any world titles since 2008.<\/p>\n

Antonelli already is Italy\u2019s first grand prix winner since Giancarlo Fisichella<\/a> in 2006. The country hasn\u2019t had a world champion since Alberto Ascari<\/a> back in 1953, a time practically nobody can remember by now. If the 18-year-old ends up in a two-horse title race against team-mate George Russell<\/a>, the country will be rooting for him.<\/p>\n

The outspoken champion
\n \"Max <\/p>\n

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing<\/p>\n

Photo by: Marcel van Dorst \/ EYE4images \/ NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n

As a general rule, sportspeople become more and more outspoken as they grow older. They aren\u2019t as intimidated by the media side of their job, and they actually understand it better, so they\u2019re aware of the pitfalls to avoid.<\/p>\n

Verstappen, as far as he\u2019s concerned, is simply unbothered by those pitfalls or any repercussions for his comments. If he\u2019s got something to say, he will. And if he disliked a question three months earlier, he\u2019ll now kick out the journalist who asked it.<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/p>\n

To some extent, the Dutchman is not dissimilar to the other multiple world champions on the grid, Hamilton and Alonso, but perhaps the two veterans make a more conscious effort of figuring out when speaking up might be beneficial and when there\u2019s no point engaging in slagging-off behaviour.<\/p>\n

Most of the other current frontrunners are rather soft-spoken, be it Lando Norris<\/a>, Oscar Piastri<\/a> or Leclerc. Perhaps Russell has become the most forthright of this generation (barring Verstappen); the Briton has gained confidence as he became Mercedes\u2019 team leader, also growing into his role as GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers’ Association) director.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, what\u2019s Russell\u2019s take on Verstappen\u2019s potential exit? In a media session last week, he was asked whether F1 could survive without its four-time world champion. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Formula 1 is bigger than any driver, so\u2026\u201d the Englishman replied, before reconsidering his answer for a few seconds. \u201cYou wouldn’t want to lose Max because I think we all enjoy racing against Max,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\"Max <\/p>\n

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, George Russell, Mercedes<\/p>\n

Photo by: Zak Mauger \/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Russell went on to ponder Verstappen\u2019s current discontent: \u201cIt’s just part and parcel of Formula 1. I didn’t enjoy driving the ’22 car when it was porpoising up and down, killing everybody’s backs. The car was big, it was heavy; the high-speed corners, it wasn’t very pleasant to drive around. But he didn’t have the same complaint because he was winning.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, the complaints that he has currently are different to the complaints of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren<\/a>, because we’re at the front end of the grid. And this is only natural, and you do understand and recognise the frustration, but he’s achieved what most drivers dream of, which is winning a championship. He’s got four of them, and at the end of the day, I guess you get to a point in life that there’s not really much more for him to achieve in Formula 1.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s ticked all the boxes, maybe he can go after the records, but knowing him as I do and knowing drivers who have won or achieved similar things, at one point you want to do what puts a smile on your face, and I can totally understand why driving the Nordschleife puts a smile on his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve driven hundreds of laps around the Nordschleife on the simulator and I would love to have that chance to go and race around the Nordschleife, but my goal now is to become a Formula 1 world champion. If I have four of them under my belt, I’d probably be doing the same. So, you know, he’s in a very different stage of his career and yeah, I think you’d understand if he stayed and you’d understand if he went.\u201d<\/p>\n

Time will tell which path Verstappen will elect to follow.<\/p>\n

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– The Motorsport.com Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Max Verstappen has made no secret of his dislike for Formula 1\u2019s 2026 regulations, with a greater emphasis…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":623748,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[12295,248047,64,63,13275,817,813,816,3875,1737,825,2333,946,85,302165],"class_list":{"0":"post-623747","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-formula-1","8":"tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","9":"tag-apple_launch","10":"tag-au","11":"tag-australia","12":"tag-charles-leclerc","13":"tag-f1","14":"tag-formula-1","15":"tag-formula1","16":"tag-george-russell","17":"tag-lando-norris","18":"tag-max-verstappen","19":"tag-oscar-piastri","20":"tag-red-bull-racing","21":"tag-sports","22":"tag-who-will-replace-max-verstappen-as-f1u2019s-megastar"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=623747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623747\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/623748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=623747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=623747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=623747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}