Max Verstappen 'emotional' plea delivered by F1 boss

Stefano Domenicali hopes Max Verstappen can put aside "emotional dimensions" and will stay racing in F1.

The Dutchman has been fierce in his criticism of the new 2026 rules, and across the Japanese GP weekend, indicated that he would be prepared to walk away from grand prix racing, such is his displeasure.

Talks were held through the April break between F1, the FIA, the drivers, and teams to find solutions to fix problems which have arisen across the first three races of the season, such as qualifying laps and closing speeds. 

The end result was that for qualifying going forward and with effect from Miami, overall recharge of the battery will be reduced to 7MJ from 8MJ, in a bid to limit super-clipping and lift and coast.

Given the seriousness of Verstappen's threats to quit, Domenicali confirmed he has spoken with the four-time champion, whom he "really hopes" does not quit. 

“It is natural that in a country that is 99% Max fans, [they are] the ones that are closer to him, which is absolutely understandable. But we are a worldwide sport; we have over 800 million fans," Domenicali told Autosport.

"And therefore, we need to remember that the dimension that we have is huge.

"That’s why I really want to say officially, please, don't try to take any kind of negative confrontational approach, because it doesn't help the sport. 

"It doesn't give any value for me. I mean, if people would love to see this kind of chitchat, this is what we don't need, because it's not good for the sport.

"Max is a four-time world champion. He’s an incredible driver, one of the best for sure, maybe the best. I personally really hope that he can stay. 

"I'm sure that, you know, the adrenaline you can find in Formula 1 is unique, and therefore I really hope that he will stay. But I cannot say more than that. 

"And that's why, as I said, try to be constructive, even if sometimes people in certain situations can be dragged into certain emotional dimensions, which are not the things that we need for our sport."