George Russell believes that Max Verstappen’s retirement threat regarding his displeasure with Formula 1’s future is a negotiation tactic.
Verstappen has often criticised the direction that F1 is heading in, and even took aim at the record-breaking 24-race calendar for the 2024 season.
“It’s too many for me but we just have to deal with it,” Verstappen said. “I think it’s a bit more logical the way it’s planned at least, so I guess that’s better for everyone.”
Verstappen was also critical of the 2026 F1 regulations, as well as the revised sprint format that has been introduced this year.
“It’s more things that have to come together for me to make my mind up to stay longer or not, but these things are definitely not helping, that’s for sure,” he said.
Verstappen currently has a contract in place with Red Bull until 2028, having signed a long-term deal after winning his maiden title in 2021.
But amid his threats to quit the sport, Russell believes that it is a tactic to extract more money from his next F1 contract.
“I think he’s whinging because he wants more money,” Russell claimed.
“He’s the highest paid on this grid and rightly so for what he’s achieving but even so, I think it’s all a big tactic of his, that threat of retirement.”
However, Russell highlighted that he hopes Verstappen sticks around F1 for several more years.
“I hope he doesn’t [retire], I hope he stays for as long as I stay because I want to fight against the best drivers in the world,” the Mercedes driver said.
“I’m head-to-head with Lewis at the moment and I want to be doing that with Max and Charles etc and I think we’re in a really great place at the moment as a sport.
“It is challenging, we can’t just keep adding more commitments, more races, there’s got to be a point where if you are adding something somewhere, something has got to be taken off.
“Maybe at the moment we’re just adding more races and not having less commitments, so you are just working overtime.
“I’m sure it’s the same at Red Bull as well but if we didn’t have any other commitments we’d be happy to race every weekend I’m sure.”
