Formula 1 needs Max Verstappen to remain in the sport, so says former Red Bull driver, and current manager of Oscar Piastri, Mark Webber.<\/p>\n
From the four-time world champion\u2019s character, to his ability to lift the standard of his F1 peers, Verstappen\u2019s continued presence is vital, argues Webber. Verstappen\u2019s future has been a major talking point thus far in F1 2026.<\/p>\n
Mark Webber discusses Max Verstappen\u2019s F1 future<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for news you can trust.<\/p>\n Verstappen<\/a> is not a fan of the new F1 2026 regulations, rueing the battery-dependent nature of the challenge.<\/p>\n Red Bull, meanwhile, is striving to ensure that should Verstappen stay in the sport, then it is at the wheel of their car.<\/p>\n Verstappen scored his and Red Bull\u2019s best result of the season thus far with P5 last time out in Miami. His contract, which runs until the end of 2028, is understood to contain a performance-related exit clause.<\/p>\n Red Bull would \u201clove\u201d Verstappen to remain in Formula 1 with their team, former Red Bull driver Mark Webber told RacingNews365.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cHolistically, looking at the whole sport, when you\u2019ve got someone like him, characters like Verstappen are what the sport needs. We need these people.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople switch on the TV because of Max Verstappen, and Liberty know that. Teams know that. He\u2019s important.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really important that we keep Max in the sport, because he\u2019s lifting every driver in the field, and that\u2019s what Formula 1 is about. You have to be continually lifted.\u201d<\/p>\n At the elite level of sport, a figure like Verstappen, triggering those \u201csleepless nights\u201d, is vital, Webber states.<\/p>\n While Webber is \u201cbiased to\u201d his client \u2013 McLaren\u2019s Oscar Piastri \u2013 speaking from a \u201cneutral\u201d standpoint, Webber declared: \u201cI want Max to be in Formula 1, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n But, if it is a question of motivation, then Webber accepts that Verstappen has earned the right to call his own shots.<\/p>\n It was following the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix that Verstappen said he was contemplating leaving Formula 1 after the 2026 season.<\/p>\n Various tweaks have since been made to the regulations, while for 2027, there is an agreement in place to adjust the electric versus internal combustion power ratio of the engines.<\/p>\n \u201cBut if the stimuli are decreasing for him, in conjunction with his experience, and I\u2019m not saying for one minute he\u2019s losing motivation, but, of course, it granularly drifts away, then he\u2019s earned the right to make choices,\u201d Webber said of Verstappen.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got an immense trophy cabinet, he\u2019s delivered year in, year out, and that gives him choices.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Max Verstappen from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Lando Norris says F1 2026 rules \u2018not at Formula 1 level\u2019 as clear request made<\/a><\/p>\n Juan Pablo Montoya defends F1 2026 with blunt \u2018so boring\u2019 V8 warning<\/a><\/p>\n Miami was the first example of the rule tweaks in action. While the maximum recharge permitted per lap stayed the same for this event, drivers bounced between 250 and 350 kW of energy deployment in different sections of the lap.<\/p>\n Verstappen is unmoved.<\/p>\n \u201cMy car drives a bit better, but what I said before about the regulations is still the same,\u201d he declared to PlanetF1.com and other accredited media after the Miami GP.<\/p>\n Asked if he found qualifying to be any better on the \u2018energy rich\u2019 Miami circuit, Verstappen responded: \u201cYou still need to go a bit slower in places to go faster. It\u2019s still not how I would like to see it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s still punishing you. The faster you go through corners, then you go slower on the next straight. So that\u2019s not what it should be about.<\/p>\n \u201cBut at least my car is working a bit nicer, so it\u2019s a bit less stressful to drive.\u201d<\/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