“What Max Does Is What F1 Needed”: Backing Verstappen, F1 CEO Ignores Lewis Hamilton’s Pleas

Do you recall the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP? It was a heartbreak for the Lewis Hamilton fans. However, for many, Max Verstappen came as a god who ended the Hamilton dominance era. But it wasn’t soon before it was converted into the Max Verstappen dominance. Nonetheless, the F1 CEO now ignores Lewis Hamilton’s pleas as he backs Max Verstappen to be the one that F1 needs. What did the F1 CEO say?

2023 is the second consecutive year of Red Bull dominance. Max Verstappen in his RB19 seems unstoppable. With the hopes for a 2023 championship gone, Lewis Hamilton recently made a plea to the FIA by suggesting a change in the rules. The Briton suggested that the teams shouldn’t be allowed to start working in the next year’s car up until a specific date. Hamilton believed this will stop the leading team from shifting their focus toward the next year earlier and hence stop them from getting an advantage. 

Hamilton made the argument that a dominance like Max Verstappen’s makes the spectacle boring for the fans. However, Hamilton himself had a similar dominance era during the mid-late 2010s. Nonetheless, Raymond Vermeulen, Max Verstappen’s manager, was recently asked about how the Dutchman has saved F1 by generating new interest in the sport. 

According to @redbulletin’s Tweet, Raymond Vermeulen said “I think ‘saved’ is a big word… Formula 1 would have existed without Max. I think Max is one of the trendsetters in this field; Formula 1 itself says that too. When I speak to Stefano [Domenicali], he also says: ‘What Max does is what the sport needed’.”

Read More: Despite Max Verstappen’s Destructive Dominance, Red Bull’s Superiority Downplayed With Valuable Insights

Looks like Lewis Hamilton’s pleas have gone to waste, as Stefano Domenicali advised that Verstappen is what the sport needed. Whether Hamilton will be able to put up a fight next season is still unknown. Despite the Briton being linked to a speculated Ferrari move, even the Ferrari boss praised Max Verstappen. 

Frederic Vasseur on Max Verstappen doing a fantastic job

John Elkann and Frederic Vasseur have both been reported to contact Lewis Hamilton for a possible Ferrari future. However, the 7X Champion is believed to have turned down the deal. Frederic Vasseur recently took a moment to hail Max Verstappen’s dominance, suggesting his team needs to be inspired by looking at his performances. 

According to formulapassion.it, Frederic Vasseur told Italian magazine Autosprint, “Verstappen isn’t damaging anything, he’s just doing a fantastic job, better than the others, together with his team. We just need to be inspired to do a better job. We can’t complain about the dominance of [the] Dutch[man].”

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What do you think? Is Max Verstappen really what F1 needed?