Max Verstappen has spoken passionately about the need for Formula 1 to hold onto “emotion and passion” in the sport, which he does not feel Las Vegas has harnessed yet.
The three-time World Champion has been withering in his assessment of the sport’s arrival in Nevada, believing the drivers looked like “clowns” when placed on raised plinths in front of fans for the opening ceremony.
He is not much of a fan of the track layout either, though bar Monaco he is not the biggest supporter of street circuits in general – but the Red Bull driver spoke wholeheartedly about the importance of Formula 1 to engage fans on a sporting level, rather than an entertainment level.
Max Verstappen fell in love with ’emotion’ of F1, ‘not the show’
Verstappen feels that the extras surrounding this weekend and others don’t help people understand the sport. He just qualified third in Las Vegas, which will move him up to second when Carlos Sainz’s grid penalty is applied.
He expressed his love for Las Vegas, but he is not sure if the city is appropriate for Formula 1; he went into detail to explain that the “emotion and passion” of “old school” circuits is missing.
Verstappen responded, “I can go on for a long time, but I feel like of course a kind of show element is important, but I like emotion,” when asked about his overall impression of the Las Vegas weekend thus far following his qualifying run.
“For me, when I was a little kid it was about the emotion of the sport, what I fell in love with and not the show of the sport around it because I think as a real racer, that shouldn’t really matter.
“First of all a racing car, a Formula 1 car anyway on a street circuit, I think doesn’t really come alive. It’s not that exciting.
“I believe that proper racetracks are more important. You know, these kinds of places—like Spa and Monza—are very passionate and filled with emotion.
“I love driving around these kinds of places, and I get fired up when I get in the car there because I love seeing the fans there as well.
Of course, I realize that spectators may also need something to do in the vicinity of the track, but I believe it’s more crucial to genuinely educate them about the sport we play, as the majority of them merely attend for the festivities, the alcohol, the DJ’s performance, or the performance act.
“I can do that all over the world. I can go to Ibiza and get completely sh*tfaced and have a good time.
However, that is precisely what occurs, and individuals arrive and turn into fans of what? They may wish to see a performance by their favorite artist, grab a few drinks with their friends, and then head out for an exciting evening.
“However, they are genuinely unaware of the magnitude of what we are undertaking and the risks we are taking.”
And I believe that if you actually put more time into the sport itself, which is what we’re attempting to accomplish here, you would realize that we have always wanted to be world champions since we were young.
“I think it would be much more important to look at these kinds of things if the sport focused more on them and also explained more about what the team is doing during the season, what they are achieving, and what they are working towards. These kinds of things are just randomly scattered all over the place.
It’s not something I’m particularly passionate about, and I enjoy feeling passionate and emotional around these kinds of places.
I adore Vegas, but I’m not an F1 driver. I enjoy going out, enjoying a few drinks, getting a little crazy, dressing all in red, and eating delicious food.
But like I said, emotion, passion, it’s not there compared to some old school tracks.”
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