Lando Norris believes Max Verstappen will stay in Formula One

Lando Norris has played down fears Max Verstappen is ready to quit Formula One by declaring he is “sure” the unhappy Dutchman “will stay longer than people say”.

Verstappen has been a huge critic of F1’s new rules – comparing them to Mario Kart – and hinted at the last round in Japan that he could walk away.

It also emerged earlier this month that the four-time world champion’s long-term race engineer and close ally Gianpiero Lambiase was leaving Red Bull for Norris’ McLaren team.

And speaking last week, George Russell said he would “understand” if Verstappen quits.

However, just 48 hours after F1 chiefs agreed a number of tweaks to the rulebook – aimed at appeasing Verstappen and others critical of the new rules – Norris said: “Max has earned the right to go and do whatever he wants. He has won four world championships.

“He has always been very open to say what he thinks, whether you agree with him or not. He is himself and that is a very good way to live your life.

“It would be a shame and a miss for the sport if he walked away because he is one of the best drivers ever in Formula One.

“And, even though he makes it incredibly tough for all of us, it would be a shame for the drivers, too, because he is always good fun to race against and you want to race the best in the world. He is certainly one of them.

“Hopefully things get better. I also saw that he said he wants to win a fifth world championship, so I am sure he will stay longer than people say.”

Verstappen, who has a contract with Red Bull until 2028, has been vocal in his dislike of the rules; a 50-50 split between combustion and electrical power, which place an onus on drivers managing their battery, effectively slowing down on a qualifying lap, and ‘gimmicks’, such as a boost button to overtake.

Some changes – aimed at allowing the drivers to go flat-out for longer in qualifying, rather than having to lift off the throttle as regularly, and a boost-button cap to mitigate the impact of dangerous closing speeds – were finalised on Monday and are set to be introduced for the next round in Miami on May 3.

Assessing the amendments, Norris’ McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri said: “I need to go through all the details of the rules and someone smarter than me to explain what has changed.

“But it is a step in the right direction. How far it goes in addressing the problems, we will have to wait and see until we get on track.”

The season resumes in Miami after an enforced five-week break following the cancellation of the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to the conflict in the Middle East.