‘So much politics’ over F1 rules debate – Verstappen
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| Max Verstappen |
(GMM) Max Verstappen says "so much politics" is floating around in the F1 paddock at present.
That was particularly noticeable in Canada last weekend, when the draft 2021 regulations started doing the rounds.
The FIA has now summoned the major players, reportedly also including the drivers, to a summit in Paris this week to end the deadlock between the teams and Liberty Media.
Red Bull's Verstappen says conflict at times like these is unavoidable.
"Of course everyone speaks for themselves," he told De Telegraaf newspaper.
"Mercedes want very little to change, but a team behind them wants different regulations. Then the customer teams are factored in. There is so much politics involved."
From Verstappen and many other drivers' perspectives, they just want cars that are easier to go wheel-to-wheel with their rivals with.
"Sometimes the races are fun, but in general it is so difficult to catch up," said the Dutchman.
"I hope they can do something about it because if we can race then it's more fun for the public too."
According to one report, FIA president Jean Todt has invited the drivers to attend the Paris summit on Thursday.
But Verstappen says the drivers have little influence on what happens next.
"We have nothing to say about it," he said. "It's always been political and up to the big bosses.
"We can try to indicate what we want, like a few years ago when the cars were too slow and had not enough grip.
"Then we went to these wider cars with more downforce, but now we lose more time when we are behind someone.
"We are doing track records everywhere we go, but I don't think that's what it's all about. If you just want faster and faster, you might as well put a robot in it.
"It must be fun for the fan," Verstappen added.
The 21-year-old said Mercedes cannot be blamed for the situation, even after seven consecutive wins in 2019.
"You can say a lot about Mercedes right now, but they are doing better than everyone else," he said. "It's just not good for the viewer.
"I like to watch MotoGP because you never know who's going to win. They are much closer to each other and a customer team can also fight to win. It would be nice if we could learn something from that."