F1 News: Max Verstappen Wants Formula 1 To Ignore The Party And Promote The "Emotion And Passion" Of The Sport

Max Verstappen has called for the promotion of "emotion and passion" behind the sporting aspect of Formula 1 rather than pushing the party and the show side of it, which may not accurately reflect the essence of the sport.

The Red Bull driver has been candid in his approach to the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which as per him is 99% show and 1% sporting event. He also added that comparing the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend to the Monaco Grand Prix is like comparing the flagship Champions League football competition with the National League.

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The Red Bull driver, who qualified third but will start second due to Carlos Sainz's ten-place grid penalty, suggests that the series needs to focus more on promoting motorsport to attending fans rather than letting concerts and other entertainment take the spotlight.

Explaining his views to the media, he said:

"When I was a little kid, it was about the emotion of the sport what I fell in love with and not the show of the sport around it. As a real racer, that shouldn't really matter.

"A Formula 1 car on a street circuit doesn't really come alive. It's not that exciting. I think it's more about proper racetracks. When you go to Spa, Monza, these kinds of places, they have a lot of emotion and passion.

"Seeing the fans there, it's incredible. When I jump in the car there, I'm fired up. I love driving around these kinds of places."

The Dutchman expressed that Formula 1 is not adequately promoting the competitive aspect and, instead, relies too much on "random shows all over the place." He continued:

"Most of them just come to have a party, drink, see a DJ play or a performance act. I can do that all over the world. I can go to Ibiza and get completely sh**faced and have a good time. But that's what happens [at races].

"People, they come, and they become a fan of what? They want to see maybe their favourite artist and have a few drinks with their mates and go out and have a crazy night out. But they don't actually understand what we're doing and what we're putting on the line to perform.

"If the sport would put more focus into these kind of things and also explain more what the team is doing throughout the season, what they are achieving, what they're working for, these kinds of things.

"I find it way more important to look at that rather than just having all these random shows all over the place. For me, it's not what I'm very passionate about.

"I like passion and emotion with these kinds of places. I love Vegas but not to drive in an F1 car."