The 2024 schedule was released this week and is set to feature a record total of events, which has been the subject of much discussion ahead of the British Grand Prix.
As part of that, Verstappen said for him 24 races was “too many” but added that “we just have to deal with it”.
This follows the Dutchman saying back in Australia in April “I won't be around for too long” regarding his opinion of the latest changes to F1’s sprint race weekend format and his preference for F1 events to centre on full-length GP competitions only – comments that were interpreted in some quarters as a quit threat.
When asked why he seemed unhappy with several aspects of current F1 and if he really is considering quitting once his deal with Red Bull runs out at the end of 2028, Verstappen replied: “It's more things that have to come together for me to make my mind up if I stay longer or not.
“But yeah, all these things are definitely not helping.”
On the subject of F1’s expanding calendar and Verstappen’s comments, Russell said his position by contrast is that “I’m doing what I love and I’m almost [feeling] ‘the more the merrier’ to a certain extent”.
On the specific reason behind Verstappen’s remarks, Russell, smiling as he did so, replied: “I think he’s whinging because he wants more money!”
But Russell then went on to say the Red Bull driver is “the highest paid on this grid and rightly so for what he’s achieving”.
Source: Autosport