George Russell hands Max Verstappen blunt verdict over F1 quit threat

George Russell has told Max Verstappen that "Formula 1 is bigger than any driver" as he reacted to the possibility of the Dutchman leaving.

Verstappen has made no secret of the fact that he could quit grand prix racing, such is his dislike of the new technical regulations, and has rejected the idea that he is only so vocal in his criticism because his Red Bull team are not competing for wins. 

He has branded the new engine rules as "anti-racing" and as "Formula E on steroids", and has been competing in GT3 races at the Nurburgring as his attention drifts from F1 to elsewhere in motorsport.

However, whilst Mercedes driver Russell, with whom Verstappen has shared a tense relationship at times, is sympathetic towards the four-time champion, who is at a "very different stage of his career", the Briton felt that no single driver was more important than F1 overall.

"Formula 1 is bigger than any driver, so you wouldn't want to lose Max because I think we all enjoy racing against Max, but it is just part and parcel of Formula 1," Russell told media, including RacingNews365. 

"I didn't enjoy driving the 2022 car when it was porpoising up and down, killing everyone's backs. The car was big and heavy in the high-speed corners, and it wasn't very pleasant to drive around, but he didn't have the same complaints because he was winning.

"Now the complaints that he currently has are different to the complaints of Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren, because we're at the front end of the grid, and it 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, you get to a point in life that there's not really much more for him to achieve in Formula 1; he's ticked all the boxes.

"Maybe he can go after the records, but knowing him as I do, and knowing drivers who have achieved similar things, at one point, you want to do what puts a smile on your face, and if that is driving the Nordschleife, I can understand why that puts a smile on his face.

"I've driven hundreds and hundreds of laps around the Nordschleife on the simulator, and I would love that chance to go and race around the Nordschleife, but my goal now is to become a Formula 1 world champion.

"If I had four of them under my belt, I'd probably be the same. So he is probably in a very different stage of his career, and I think you could understand if he stayed, and you'd understand if he went."