Lando Norris tells Max Verstappen to ‘shut up or retire’ as Formula E chief defends Red Bull star over comments

After Max Verstappen’s complaint about the new regulations in Formula 1 this season, Lando Norris has told him to retire.

This year, F1 is introducing new regulations for the design of the cars so they are “agile, competitive, safer and more sustainable.”

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However, Verstappen revealed his dislike for the new cars during a three-day test in Bahrain.

He said: “To drive, they’re not a lot of fun, to be honest. I would say the right word is management. It’s not very Formula 1-like.

“It feels a bit more like Formula E on steroids. But the rules are the same for everyone, so you have to deal with that.”

Since the comment, reigning world champion Norris provided a counter-argument that he was enjoying the new challenge of adjusting.

“It’s a lot of fun, I really enjoyed it,” Norris stated. “So, yeah, if he wants to retire, he can retire.

“Formula 1 changes all the time. Sometimes it’s a bit better to drive, sometimes it’s not as good to drive.”

He added: “We get paid a stupid amount of money to drive, so you can’t really complain at the end of the day.

“Any driver can go and find something else to do. It’s not like he has to be here, or any driver has to be here.

“It’s different. You have to drive it in a different way and understand things differently and manage things differently.

“But I still get to drive cars and travel the world and have a lot of fun, so nothing to complain about.”

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Formula E chief defends Verstappen

Four-time world champion Verstappen does not seem a fan of the new generation of F1 cars as he compared them to Formula E cars.

He has never driven an FE car and by recent comments, it seems he has very little desire to do so in the future.

But Formula E chief executive Jeff Dodds told talkSPORT ahead of the E-prix in Jeddah, that he understands the comments and does not believe it’s a dig at the electrical form of motorsport.

Dodds said: “I don’t think Max has taken a swipe. So first thing I think, Max is really clear on the style of racing he likes. He’s a purist racing driver.

“He wants to go flat out, full throttle, think about nothing other than going as fast as he can.

“And of course, in Formula E, there is a lot of strategy. I mean, it’s been likened to a game of chess on a racetrack.

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“So when I read the comments from Max, I think it’s pretty much pure Max, right? He wants to go as flat out as he can. And he doesn’t feel that with the new setup, the new regulations in Formula One will allow him to do that.”

Even though he defended Verstappen’s take, he also supported the sport he’s in charge of, and concluded it’s better than F1.

“We’re racing in Jeddah this weekend in Formula E,” Dodds added.

“There will be 150 overtakes in each of these races. It’s very close combat, you get to the end of the season and there could be any number of drivers in the mix for the championship.

“That’s not the case in Formula 1, I don’t think it’s anti-racing. I think it’s anti-Max racing. My F1 enjoyment of the past few years has been watch the start, watch the finish, don’t worry about what’s going on inbetween.

“Max may love racing from the front, looking back at everybody, maybe that’s not so much fun for fans. He knows many of the drivers here and is great friends with a number of people here.

“He’s a great guy. I messaged him rather cheekily last night to say, it’s not very far from Jeddah to Bahrain, I’ll come and get him personally and if he wants to come and get in the car, then he has an open invitation.”