George Russell on Max Verstappen retirement talk: ‘There’s not much more for him to achieve in F1’

George Russell believes Max Verstappen does not have “much more to achieve in Formula 1” after the Dutchman revealed he could retire from the sport at the end of the season.

Mercedes driver Russell added that the Dutchman, with whom he shares a fierce rivalry, should “do what puts a smile on his face” and reiterated his belief that “F1 is bigger than any driver.”

Four-time world champion Verstappen revealed after the last race in Japan, in which he finished eighth, that he is considering quitting the sport at the end of the season. The 28-year-old has repeatedly voiced his unhappiness with the new 2026 cars, while his Red Bull team are also languishing in the midfield after the first three rounds.

Yet Russell, driving the leading Mercedes car and this year’s championship favourite, reflected on the 2022 season, when his team were badly impacted by an uncomfortable and underperforming car and Verstappen’s Red Bull team were flying high.

“Formula 1 is bigger than any driver,” Russell said in a media call on Friday. “You wouldn’t want to lose Max because we all love racing against Max.

“It’s just part and parcel of Formula 1. I didn’t enjoy driving the 2022 car when it was porpoising up and down, killing everyone’s backs, it was a heavy car. But he didn’t have the same complaint because he was winning.

“The complaints he has currently are different to the complaints of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren because we’re at the front of the grid, that is only natural.

“He’s achieved what most drivers can only dream of: he’s won a world championship. He’s got four of them. At the end of the day, there’s not much more for him to achieve in Formula 1.”

Verstappen, who has also vocalised his keenness to compete in other racing series, has signed up to take part in the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring endurance race around the infamous Nordschleife circuit in Germany next month.

This weekend, amid F1’s enforced spring break due to cancellations of races in the Gulf, the Dutchman is taking part in qualifiers for the event.