'Max Verstappen leaving will not kill Formula 1'

Ralf Schumacher has dismissed Max Verstappen's criticism of leaving Formula 1. The Sky Sports analyst has indicated he is little impressed by Verstappen's words, even though he agrees with the criticism himself.

"I'm not in favour of such a different set-up either," Verstappen revealed earlier, regarding the changes around the sprint weekend. "The weekends get even busier and more intense that way. At some point, this is no longer worth being away from home so much. I'm not going to stop until 2028, but none of this helps when I have to start making a decision to continue after that."

Nevertheless, the change does seem to be coming, as both the majority of team bosses and a large number of drivers have changed tack. Only the F1 Commission has yet to agree, but that is seen as a mere formality. As a result, Verstappen's criticism does not garner much support from analysts, including Schumacher.

'If Verstappen wants to go, he should go'

The German does understand where Verstappen's criticism comes from: "For small teams and for young drivers it is also a big disadvantage if there are even fewer free practice sessions, when there is little testing anyway". However, he is not really impressed by the threat that the world champion would quit Formula 1 early.

"The past, present and future have shown or will show that Formula 1 is much bigger than any single individual," Schumacher explained. "Bernie Ecclestone is also gone and without him Formula 1 would not exist, and yet the sport is now more successful than ever. So Verstappen needs to pack his bags and leave or just accept it as it is. He is paid to compete. If he wants to go, he should go. It won't kill Formula 1, however much I like him."