Lando Norris: Max Verstappen Has “Earned the Right” to Leave F1 as Piastri Says It’s “Not a Great Look”

“I think it would be a shame for the sport to lose Max, especially at this point in his career as well. I think it would be a big loss for the sport as a whole,” Piastri said.

“I think for us as drivers, we want to race against the best and try and prove ourselves against the best. Max has shown his calibre in the last 10 years, and I think especially in the last five or six, he’s been the benchmark.

“So, I think for everyone it would be a pretty big shame and obviously not a great look.”

Norris, who narrowly beat Verstappen to the 2025 world title, was more relaxed in regard to his friend’s thoughts on retirement.

“Max has earned the right to go and do whatever he wants. He’s won four world championships, and he’s always been that guy,” Norris said. “He probably is one of the best drivers you’ll see in Formula 1 ever. It would be a shame for us because I think, as much as he makes our lives incredibly tough at times, he’s always good fun to race against.

“And it’s always cool to race against someone that’s won four world championships. It would be a loss for the sport.”

Norris, however, knows that Verstappen isn’t finished collecting trophies.

“Hopefully things get better. And I also saw he said he wants to win a fifth World Championship at the minute. So, you know, I’m sure he’ll stay longer than people say.”

F1 announced a series of rule changes during the enforced break following the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to the conflict surround Iran. Whether those changes will be enough to keep Verstappen in F1 remains unclear, but both McLaren drivers made it clear they’d rather not find out what the grid looks like without him.