mark webber is at the center of Formula 1’s latest exit debate after Mohammed Ben Sulayem said the sport would keep going if Max Verstappen walked away. The FIA president addressed the rumours during the Miami Grand Prix weekend and framed Verstappen’s frustrations as part of a wider cycle for winning drivers.
“F1 is bigger than anyone else. Presidents come and go; teams come and go; promoters come and go; drivers come and go. I just saw Verstappen, and he was positive. The changes are going in the right direction,” Ben Sulayem said. He also added that when drivers are winning and then suddenly are not, they speak out.
Ben Sulayem at Miami
Ben Sulayem’s response came after a difficult 2026 season for Verstappen, who has struggled to adapt to the new generation of cars and has repeatedly voiced concerns about the drivability of the package and the sport’s direction. The reigning four-time world champion has also questioned whether he still enjoys competing under the current rules.
De Telegraaf reported that those frustrations have led Verstappen to consider retiring from Formula 1 at the end of the season. Ben Sulayem’s answer was blunt: if Verstappen leaves, Formula 1 will miss him, but the sport will go on.
Verstappen And The 2026 Regulations
Ben Sulayem’s stance also lands in the middle of a broader argument around the 2026 regulations. Juan Pablo Montoya has suggested Verstappen should face consequences for criticising them, saying he should be given enough penalty points to nearly trigger a race ban or be parked for one race. Montoya also said, “You have to show respect for the sport you live for,” in comments that sharpened the pressure around the discussion.
For Verstappen, the issue is not just whether he keeps racing. It is also whether his public dissatisfaction with the cars and the regulations keeps drawing the kind of response now coming from the FIA and from former drivers. Ben Sulayem has already drawn his line: one driver can leave, but Formula 1 and the FIA stay in place.
Montoya Raises The Stakes
Montoya’s position adds a second layer to the story because it turns Verstappen’s criticism into a discipline question as well as a performance issue. That leaves the four-time world champion facing scrutiny not only over his future, but over how much room the sport will give him to attack the rules while still competing under them.
