Max Verstappen receives 'bigger picture' response from F1 boss

Max Verstappen has been reminded to see the "bigger picture" by F1 chief Stefano Domenicali, who also made a promise to the Dutchman.

Verstappen has been fierce in his criticism of F1's new technical regulations, branding them as "anti-racing" and like "Formula E on steroids" as he made clear during the Japanese GP weekend, in which he finished eighth, that he could be prepared to walk away from grand prix racing over his dislike of the regulations.  

Talks are being held across the April break between the FIA, F1, and the teams to discuss potential tweaks to the regulations ahead of the return to racing in Miami, with Domenicali promising never to be "confrontational" in discussions as he reminded Verstappen to see the "bigger picture."

"You know me, I respect Max a lot. I speak with him a lot, and of course, he is quite opinionated," Domenicali told Motorsport.com. 

"We need to remember the reason why we are here with this regulation. Otherwise, we miss the starting point, and if you start in the middle of the race, you miss the start. So, it is like that, and I think that certain points are valid, and that's why we are here to fix [those] together.”

“I think that, of course, he will understand that there is a bigger picture. I can like certain things or not, or like certain things more or less. But in a way, everyone needs to understand that, [there are] certain reasons [behind it].”

“It’s good that he’s pushing for something, and we said that if there is a push for something, we can do it in the right way, in the right forum, because that’s the nature of our sport.

"I will never be confrontational. It’s not my style, and at the end of the day, it’s not giving value to anyone.

“The sport is bigger than any one of us, anyone. And this is something that everyone needs to remember. Everyone means everyone, no one excluded. 

"The sport is in its 76th year, I've seen people manage it, drivers, fantastic engineers, prima donnas, everyone. But the sport is solid, it's looking ahead, and that's what I'm saying.

"I [will] never do anything for the worst of the sport, because I think that with my experience, I know how to avoid getting into the traps, which are great to have some coverage, but not good for the medium and long-term objectives."