This gap Max Verstappen would leave in Formula 1

– Max Verstappen makes no secret of the fact that he doesn’t like the new Formula 1 rules for 2026, which place an even stronger focus on electric drive and energy management than before.

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While he is looking for and finding fun elsewhere – namely in GT3 races in the NLS (Nürburgring Endurance Series) – Verstappen is openly thinking about his future in Formula 1. At the Japanese Grand Prix, he said he had “life decisions” to make.

Should the Red Bull driver actually leave the premier class, he would leave a big void as a superstar. So who could fill it? The answer depends on how you look at Verstappen.

The generational talent

The fact that Verstappen was courted by two of the premier class’s biggest teams already in his first – and ultimately only – season in single-seater racing before Formula 1 says a lot.

In 2014, the hype surrounding the 16-year-old escalated when he took six consecutive victories in the Formula 3 European Championship at Spa and Norisring. Mercedes could only offer him a GP2 cockpit (now Formula 2) for 2015, so Red Bull snatched him up – with the tempting prospect of a Toro Rosso cockpit in Formula 1.

Since then, Verstappen has more than justified this risk. His speed and racing instinct are unmatched by almost anyone. Leaving aside Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, who are approaching the end of their careers, Charles Leclerc probably comes closest to this profile – at least in terms of pure speed.

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The Ferrari driver’s qualifying pace has always been remarkable. With 27 pole positions, he is already close to Juan Manuel Fangio, Mika Häkkinen, and Niki Lauda in the history books, even though he never had a dominant car.

But when it comes to spectacular overtaking maneuvers and exceptional vehicle control, no one comes to mind at the moment. However, it will be exciting to see how Kimi Antonelli develops. The young Italian was promoted to a top team even faster than Verstappen himself – and his potential in the junior series justified that.

The controversial racer

What also makes Verstappen a superstar is the controversy surrounding his driving style. In this respect, he is reminiscent of Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, who also made history in sometimes controversial ways.

In the past eleven years, Verstappen has been uncompromising in direct duels. His philosophy can best be described as “give way or crash.” This became particularly clear in the 2021 title fight against Lewis Hamilton, even if the Dutchman has acted less aggressively recently.

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In the current field, no one is really comparable to him in this regard.

The hero of a nation

Before Verstappen, only one Dutch driver had scored more than four points and competed in over 50 Grands Prix: his father Jos. In other words, Max really ignited the enthusiasm for Formula 1 in the Netherlands, and the thousands of “Orange Army” fans at racetr worldwide show how great this dedication is.

Few drivers have achieved this. Fernando Alonso comes to mind here: Spain was hardly interested in Formula 1 in the 20th century, as the focus was more on motorcycle racing.

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Should someone repeat that in the future, it could be Kimi Antonelli. Of course, the Italians’ first love is always Ferrari, but the Scuderia hasn’t won a title since 2008.

Antonelli is already the first Italian Grand Prix winner since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2006. The last world champion was Alberto Ascari in 1953 – a time that practically no one remembers today. Should the 18-year-old get into a title fight against teammate George Russell, the country would stand behind him.

The opinionated champion

As a rule, athletes become more open as they get older. They are less intimidated by the media side of their job and understand it better, knowing what pitfalls there are.

Verstappen, on the other hand, seems to care little about these pitfalls or possible consequences. If he wants to say something, he does. And if he didn’t like a question three months ago, he simply throws the journalist out today.

In a way, he resembles the other multiple world champions in the field, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. However, the two veterans seem to weigh more consciously when it makes sense to speak out and when it is pointless to engage in verbal arguments.

Most other current top drivers are rather reserved, be it Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, or Charles Leclerc. Perhaps George Russell is the most direct representative of this generation (apart from Verstappen). He has gained self-confidence as a team leader at Mercedes and has also grown in his role as GPDA director.

Russell’s view on a possible Verstappen departure is interesting. In a media round, he was recently asked if Formula 1 could survive without the four-time world champion. “Formula 1 is bigger than any single driver,” Russell said there.

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Time will tell which path Verstappen will take.