McLaren driver Oscar Piastri says it \u201cwould be a big loss\u201d if Red Bull\u2019s Max Verstappen quits Formula 1 over his frustration with the F1 2026 rules.<\/p>\n
And he believes it would not be \u201ca great look\u201d for the sport to lose the driver he considers \u201cthe benchmark.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oscar Piastri: Max Verstappen exit would not be \u2018a great look\u2019 for F1<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n Verstappen has been the most fierce critic of the F1 2026 rules among the drivers having likened the new-look Formula 1 to \u201cFormula E on steroids\u201d during pre-season testing in Bahrain.<\/p>\n The Red Bull driver, who won four consecutive world championships between 2021 and 2024, admitted at the last race in Japan that his unhappiness with the situation could force him to consider his future in the sport.<\/p>\n The FIA announced a number of tweaks to the F1 2026 rules<\/a> on Monday with the changes set to come into effect at next weekend\u2019s Miami Grand Prix.<\/p>\n Go deeper: Max Verstappen\u2019s frustration with the F1 2026 rules<\/p>\n The signs that Max Verstappen is closer than ever to quitting F1<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018Pretty terrible\u2019 \u2013 The Max Verstappen F1 2026 warning that went ignored<\/a><\/p>\n The move came just days after Verstappen warned that any changes will do little to improve a set of rules<\/a> he regards as \u201cfundamentally wrong\u201d for Formula 1.<\/p>\n Speaking to PlanetF1.com and other media outlets on Wednesday, Piastri said that it would cast F1 in a poor light if a driver as gifted as Verstappen chooses to race elsewhere.<\/p>\n Piastri said: \u201cIt would be a shame if that does end up happening.<\/p>\n \u201cClearly, the Red Bull doesn\u2019t look like the most competitive car at the moment, but I think the regulations are\u2026 they\u2019re obviously being worked on, but they\u2019ve needed quite a lot of work and they\u2019re certainly more complex.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it would be a shame for the sport to lose Max, especially at this point in his career as well.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it would be a big loss for the sport as a whole.<\/p>\n \u201cI think for us, as drivers, we want to race against the best and try and prove ourselves against the best.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Max has shown his calibre in the last 10 years and I think, especially the last five or six, he\u2019s been the benchmark.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think for everyone it would be a pretty big shame and obviously not a great look.\u201d<\/p>\n After failing to start the opening two races of the new season in Australia and China, Piastri secured McLaren\u2019s first podium finish of F1 2026 by coming home second at Suzuka.<\/p>\n Piastri joined calls for refinements to the F1 2026 rules after the race in Japan, which was marred by a terrifying 50G accident involving Haas driver Oliver Bearman.<\/p>\n Appearing in the post-race press conference, Piastri said he also had a \u201cpretty close call\u201d in Friday practice when he was handed an official warning for impeding the Audi of Nico Hulkenberg.<\/p>\n Claiming that Hulkenberg had caught him \u201cthree times\u201d faster than expected on the approach to 130R as a result of the new energy demands, Piastri said: \u201cI think we understand as a sport there\u2019s a lot of things we need to tweak, a lot of things we need to change.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd especially on safety grounds, yes, there\u2019s some things that need to be looked into pretty quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n The rule tweaks for Miami have been targeted at reducing energy management requirements as well as addressing safety concerns at race starts and in wet conditions.<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Thomas Maher<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n