In Monza last weekend, Verstappen set a new record with his 10th consecutive grand prix win, while between them, the Dutchman and his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez have won every race held so far in 2023.
Maffei said that F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is trying to focus on the fact that Verstappen is making history as he extends his record run, and that in itself is worth watching.
"The midfield is quite interesting, and we can show statistically there's more overtaking than has ever occurred," Maffei said at an event hosted by investment company Goldman Sachs.
"The challenge obviously is Max Verstappen is having an unbelievable year, or record-setting year.
"Stefano Domenicali is rightly trying to pivot and say, 'Come watch this historic event, you've never seen success like this, you don't want to miss it.' We'll see if that works."
Maffei jokingly referenced the infamous events in ice skating in 1994, when Tonya Harding was charged with an involvement in an assault on rival Nancy Kerrigan intended to scupper the latter's chances in the US championships, and hence Olympic Games.
The story was told in the 2017 movie 'I, Tonya', starring Margot Robbie.
"The reality is, we have a very attractive competitive product, other than the fact that Max is that fast," said Maffei. "Short of breaking his leg, a la Tonya Harding, I'm not sure what we can do about that!
Source: Autosport