“You have to take Max Verstappen seriously”: Red Bull chief on three-time F1 champion potentially walking away from the sport

Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko warned that Max Verstappen's warning about leaving F1 over the FIA dispute could be serious. The Dutchman recently stated that the authorities' clean speech regulations could decide his future in the sport.

Verstappen has become one of the biggest names in the sport. Apart from his aggressive racing, however, he is also a fan favorite for his straightforward and unmasked statements. Recently, the FIA was quick to hand him community service as a punishment after he told the press that his car was "f***ed" in Azerbaijan.

During the Singapore GP weekend, Verstappen silently protested (quite literally) by giving single-worded replies to the press. When he was later asked if the FIA's decisions could trigger his early retirement from the sport, he said (via GPBlog):

"Yeah, for sure... I mean, these kind of things definitely decide my future as well."

Red Bull's Helmut Marko recently said that Verstappen's statements hold weight. He told Motorsport Total:

"You have to take Max seriously. He has achieved a great deal, but it is important to him that he also enjoys the whole sport. If that is increasingly spoiled for him, then he is of a character that when he says: 'Okay, that's it.'

"He means it seriously, but I hope that the current situation won't really cause him to retire soon."

Verstappen also hit back at the FIA regarding these rules, making some crude statements.

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Max Verstappen argues FIA's clean speech rules: "You don't run around with a mic [in other sports]"

The Singapore Grand Prix weekend saw Max Verstappen in a similar situation when he was asked to control his speech as children might be watching him. The 27-year-old claimed that F1 drivers have no direct impact on kids as they would grow up and use swear words anyway.

"Even if a five or six-year-old is watching, they will eventually swear anyway, even if the parents want or they will not allow it, when they grow up, they will walk around with their friends and swearing, so this is not changing anything," Verstappen said (via Racingnews365).

He also claimed that "a lot" is argued in F1. Compared to other sports, he said that they do not carry a mic around with them all the time.

"Abuse is something else. I think a lot of things get broadcasted nowadays where in other sports, you don't run around with a mic attached to you. Just starts with not broadcasting it. If you don't broadcast it, no one will know, only the team. With that, you can deal internally with these kind of things," he said.

Unlike the weekend in Baku, Max Verstappen was not given community service or held back by the FIA in any way for these statements. He continues to lead the championship standings, on a clear way to claim his fourth title. However, the steady growth by McLaren has brought down Red Bull from the lead in the Constructors' championship.