Verstappen sees entertainment taking over: 'Not like before'

Max Verstappen sat down with Stefano Domenicali in Australia on Thursday. The CEO of Formula 1 spoke with the reigning world champion about the state of the sport and in it Max also insisted on keeping "real races" in the sport.

Formula 1 is expanding more and more. With the arrival of Las Vegas in 2023, the calendar will only expand further with a possible growth to 24 or maybe 25 races. Verstappen himself is not in favor of so many races and has also expressed to Domenicali that he hopes F1 will not be all about entertainment.

''Of course they have to make money and try to make the sport more popular, but it's also important that the right circuits remain on the calendar and that we don't just run in cities on street circuits. At the end of the day, these cars are not made for that,'' the Red Bull Racing driver said to The Telegraph.

According to Verstappen, F1's top executive also understands this, but it is also the sport's shareholders who have a say. ''It won't be like it used to be, entertainment will become more important. But that's just the world today,'' Verstappen said. The arrival of Las Vegas puts pressure on the future of the races in France and Belgium with an expiring contract.