Martin Brundle says Michael Schumacher would never have handled F1 grievances like Max Verstappen

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Martin Brundle has drawn a contrast between Max Verstappen and Michael Schumacher after the Red Bull driver publicly expressed doubt over his F1 future.

Verstappen could walk away from F1 at the end of 2026 as he questions whether it’s ‘worth’ continuing. The four-time world champion is no longer enjoying driving after the regulation changes this winter.

The Dutchman has repeatedly said his complaints aren’t linked to Red Bull’s current struggles. Instead, he feels the new rules are fundamentally anti-racing.

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Martin Brundle says Michael Schumacher would have complained behind ‘closed door’

Brundle gave his reaction to Verstappen’s explosive comments on the latest episode of the F1 Show. He says the saga is already getting ‘boring’, but thinks the driver himself would agree.

While Brundle acknowledges that it would be a big miss for F1 if he took his ‘extraordinary’ talent elsewhere, he has questioned Verstappen’s handling of the issue.

Schumacher, another of F1’s all-time greats, would apparently have aired such grievances in private. Only if he felt he wasn’t being listened to in those conversations would he go to the media.

Verstappen has been extremely critical of the new regulations since pre-season testing. In fact, he first raised concerns in a press conference back in 2023.

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“Max is very unfiltered, isn’t he?” Brundle said. “He always has been. He’s talked a lot for a long time about, ‘I’m not in this for the long haul.’

“Max would say it’s getting a bit boring now. I think it’s getting a bit boring with what he’s saying – either go or stop talking about it, because it is what it is. You’ve got to make the most of it.

“I would hugely miss his talent. His generational speed and car control is something that very few people in the history of motorsport have had. It’s quite extraordinary.

“His points are brutally made, but actually well made, that this is just wrong at the moment. But what a Schumacher would have done is closed the door, thumped the desk, metaphorically got hold of the right people by the throat, walked out with a smile and said, ‘Everything’s fine’.

“And then, if they don’t sort it out, then you start going onto the media. But that’s not how he does things.”

‘He’s doing quite a lot of damage’ – Martin Brundle tells Max Verstappen he’s not irreplaceable

Brundle also warned Verstappen that he’s not ‘indispensable’, with several exciting young drivers ready to take over for a fraction of his salary.

Verstappen has been labelled the greatest driver of the 21st century by some pundits, and yet the sport will still ‘move on’ without on.

Overall, Brundle remains confident that Verstappen will stay in F1, provided Red Bull give him a contending car.

• READ MORE: Max Verstappen held ‘unprecedented’ meeting with Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies on 12-hour flight

“Nobody’s indispensable in this sport,” he said. “I’ve seen a number of amazing people come through, and the sport carries on [without them].

“This goes for any of us. The minute we stop, people will be talking about who’s doing the job next. There are any number of Antonellis, Bearmans, Lindblads out there who would do the job incredibly well for 1% of the money.

“The sport will just move on if Max decides to go, but he’s doing quite a lot of damage meanwhile. But we all appreciate that’s how Max rocks and rolls.

“I’d be surprised if he’d really walk away from it. It’s great to be at the Nurburgring. Do I think he’d just walk away from F1? No I don’t, provided he can get a car that pleases him.