Russell denies Verstappen: "Withdrawal? A tactic to get more money"

Just 25 years old Max Verstappen he already has 2 world titles in his showcase and the beauty of 42 career victories, with the prospect of further retouching his fantastic numbers thanks to the Red Bull RB19 dominating the 2023 championship, capable of securing nine successes in as many races.

The contract between the Dutch champion and his team will expire at end 2028, when the pilot will be 31 years old and could decide to hang the helmet on the nail, as he has hinted in recent months. Verstappen’s sentences have struck public opinion, but it is fair to remember that the Red Bull standard bearer has been in Formula 1 since 2015 and therefore by the time his current agreement expires he will have already played 15 seasons in the premier category of motoring. It’s no secret that the Dutchman isn’t enjoying the constant increase in grands prix on the calendar, just as he’s not a fan of Saturday Sprints, all aspects that could affect the future of the Hasselt champion.

Russell doesn’t believe in Verstappen’s retirement

“I think he’s just complaining because he wants more money”, explained George Russell, who is the same age as Verstappen and has only won 1 win in his entire F1 career, despite driving a Mercedes for two years. The Briton continued: “Max is the highest paid on the grid and it is for a reason, considering the results he is achieving. But I think his is a great tactic, I mean the threat to withdraw. I hope he won’t and that he will stay as long as I’m around, because I want to fight with the best drivers in the world, like I’m doing with Lewis Hamilton and like I hope to do it with Max, with Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.”

In his Thursday meeting with reporters, Russell explained his misgivings about the 24-date calendar unveiled on Wednesday: “Our sport is in a really great shape right now, but it’s getting more and more challenging. We can’t keep adding more and more commitments, more and more races. But there’s got to be a point where if you add something, you have to take something else out somewhere else. At the moment we are adding races, but commitments have not been reduced”.