Martin Brundle has revealed his disappointment in reigning world champion Max Verstappen ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver has been extremely vocal in his opposition to F1’s latest addition to the calendar.
Verstappen has been opposing the increasing importance of media appearances and showmanship surrounding the sport for some time, and this has peaked in Las Vegas with the Dutchman making his thoughts known regarding his frustrations with the event.
Discussing the controversy on the Sky Sports F1 broadcast, Brundle stated: “If he [Verstappen] doesn’t like it, I’m not sure he needs to say anything at all. I’m a bit disappointed with that because standing on a roster and coming up and waving a lot of adulation from the fans, it’s not the worst job in the world, is it?
“It’s not that difficult. You’re not on the shipwork or down the mines or something. So I don’t understand why he feels so negative about it.”
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2009 world champion Jenson Button also contributed to the debate, adding: “I’m surprised that he was so outspoken. But that’s the way Max is. He wants to go racing. And that’s all he wants to do, it seems. But there are other parts to this, as we all know. The racing is the fun bit. We get paid for all the other stuff.”
Verstappen’s comments have sparked discussions about multiple parts of the weekend, but his biggest complaints have related to the grand opening ceremony that kicked off the Las Vegas GP, as well as the track layout design.
Speaking after the opening ceremony, Verstappen stated: “For me, you can all skip these things. It’s not about the singer, it’s just standing up there, you look like a clown.” The 26-year-old was visibly uninterested while standing on the raised platform on the grid during the spectacle.
He also offered his thoughts when asked about the track layout, adding: “Yeah, not very interesting. It’s just not many corners, to be honest. I don’t know. I mean, it also will depend probably a bit on how grippy it is.
“Doesn’t look like it has a lot of grip but yeah, we’ll go with the flow. I don’t think it’s that exciting, that’s the only thing. But naturally already for me, a street circuit is not very exciting, especially with these new cars.
“They’re just too heavy. And especially also when you have low grip, that doesn’t help. Of course, it will be great driving through the Strip, but then the layout itself is not the most exciting, I think. An F1 car is a lot more fun with a lot of high-speed corners.”
