Max Verstappen on FIA's political ban of F1 drivers: "It was probably a bit unnecessary"

Reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen stated it was 'unnecessary' for the FIA to ban F1 drivers from speaking out on political issues.

Drivers and teams alike have been quite vocal about taking political stances on topics such as gender equality and racism in recent times. Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have been pushing the sport to take a stance and introduce reforms to help minorities enter the sport and also push the message of environmental sustainability.

The FIA recently announced that they would take action against drivers who took political stances during the 2023 season. The decision did not sit well with many drivers and F1 teams on the grid.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Max Verstappen also spoke against the FIA's statement and revealed that there was no need for the organization to impose a ban on these statements, he said:

"Personally, everyone's different. Some are more outspoken than others, I'm normally not outspoken about that because first of all, it's tough as a racing driver to be fully committed on that in terms of going into everything and making sure you know all the facts right."

"But I don't think it is necessary. In a way, you're basically making sure that people aren't allowed to speak anymore. I think we should be allowed because some people will speak a bit more, some not. But it was probably a bit unnecessary, yeah."

---

Lewis Hamilton has been one of the greatest drivers ever in the sport: Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen claimed that Lewis Hamilton was "one of the greatest drivers' and if he was given a worthy car by Mercedes then he would be a contender for the 2023 season. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said:

"He's been one of the greatest drivers ever in the sport, so for sure if he has the car to do it, he can fight for the title again."

The Dutch driver also mentioned that Hamilton's teammate George Russell, Ferrari man Charles Leclerc, and McLaren compatriot Lando Norris are also in the fight for the title this season. He said:

"But that's the same for George [Russell, Hamilton's team-mate]. It's the same for Charles [Leclerc, Ferrari], it's the same for Lando [Norris, McLaren] - if you give them the car that's capable of winning the championship, they can. But it's also about when you have the car then the pressure comes you cannot afford big mistakes."

It would be interesting to see who emerges as the challenger for Max Verstappen's title in 2023.