4 Months After Max Verstappen’s Retirement Threat, F1 Attempts to Entice Red Bull Champ With a Special Treat

Max Verstappen may be winning it all in Formula. But the 2x champion is not a fan of the direction this sport is taking. After finally breaking through and making it big in the United States of America, Formula 1 is looking to eagerly expand. It’s a two-point agenda for F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali. With an expanded calendar in sight, the Italian boss also wants to revamp and expand the quota of Sprint Races.

The entire concept of Sprint races has never really gelled with Verstappen. And that’s exactly why the Dutch lion has threatened to quit the sport completely if the ambitions of the upper echelons of the sport aren’t kept in check. However, as Verstappen seems to employ the stick, Domenicali has gone down the carrot root to keep Verstappen engaged.

How F1 plans to lure Max Verstappen

The 25-year-old is pretty vocal when it comes to airing his disappointment with the plans F1 has for the future from a point of view of making the pinnacle of motor racing a spectacle. But with arguably one of the biggest assets wanting to leave, how does Domenicali react?

Verstappen is as dominant as a driver can or has ever been. Hence, the 58-year-old Emilia Romagna native has come up with a clever bribe. Motorsport-Total.com quoted him as saying, “If a driver achieves both pole positions on a [sprint] weekend and also wins both races, then he should be given a special award for it. With something that recognizes the sporting achievement.” [translated via Google Translate]

Addressing the Sprint issue with a token for the 2x champ may not be enough to keep Verstappen beyond 2025 though.

Read More: “Light Years Ahead of the Rest”: Red Bull Veteran Hypes Up Max Verstappen’s Dominance While Giving His Peers a “Supernatural” Task

Verstappen slams terrible 2026 reality

The sport is moving towards yet another revolutionary rule change come 2026. With the latest engine regulations set to kick in from the 2026 season onwards, the Red Bull maestro has not minced his words while reiterating his disdain for the direction the sport is heading in.

While terming the latest rule set as ‘pretty terrible’ he explained himself by saying, “It looks very bad, from all the numbers and what I see from the data already. It’s not something I am very excited about at the moment.”

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Will Max Verstappen be in the sport for the long term?