&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "F1 2026 | Defending champion Lando Norris says Verstappen quitting 'would be shame for sport'")
McLaren driver and defending Formula 1 champion Lando Norris says that it will 'a shame' if Red Bull driver and four-time world champion Max Verstappen quits the sport. The comments come after Verstappen's admission that 'he will quit' if didn't enjoy. The Red Bull phenom has been vocal about how new F1 2026 rules, which have made it mandatory for nearly 50 percent of car's energy to be electric, have made it difficult and boring for the drivers. The F1 management, however, made some tweaks to the rules to address drivers' discontentment and safety concerns.
Norris hopeful of Verstappen continuing in F1
With three races done, the rule tweaks will come into the force before Miami Grand Prix on May 3 and Norris, who is fifth on the drivers' standings, hopes Verstappen, ninth on the table, will come good and make a run for the championship.
"Hopefully things get better and I just saw that he said he wants to win the fifth world championship at the minute, so I’m sure he’ll stay longer than people say," Norris said.
“It would be a shame for the sport, it would be a miss for the sport if that does happen because he probably is one of the best drivers you’ll see in Formula One ever.
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"It would be a shame for us because as much as he makes our lives incredibly tough at times, he’s always good fun to race against and it’s always cool to race against someone that’s won four world championships. You always feel like you want to race against the best in the world and he certainly is one of them, so it would be a loss for the sport."
How has Verstappen performed so far in the season?
The Red Bull driver finished sixth in the season opening race in Australian Grand Prix before failing to finish the race at Chinese Grand Prix. At Suzuka in Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen finished eighth with next two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia getting cancelled because of ongoing conflict in the West Asia.
