Martin Brundle said Max Verstappen should either leave Formula 1 or stop discussing a possible exit, after Verstappen said on Sunday that he could walk away from the series at the end of the season because of the new rules and cars.
Verstappen, a four-time world champion, said he could leave at the end of this season. His Red Bull contract expires in 2028, but Sunday was described as the first time he had mentioned leaving at the end of this year.
Brundle said Verstappen has made similar comments before.
"Max is very unfiltered isn't he? He always has been," Brundle said. "And he's talked a lot for a long time about 'I'm not in this for a long haul, I'm not going to be around in my 40s.'
"I think it's getting a bit boring now, what he's saying. Either go, or stop talking about it. It is what it is, you've got to make the most of it."
Brundle also said Formula 1 would continue without Verstappen.
"Nobody is indispensable in this business. I've seen a number of amazing people come through this sport and are no longer with us, or have moved on to do something else. The sport goes on. This goes for any of us. The minute we stop, people will be talking about who does the job next.
"There are any number of [Kimi] Antonellis, [Ollie] Bearmans, [Arvid] Lindblads out there who would do the job incredibly well for 1% of the money. The sport will just move on if Max decides to go."
"I would hugely miss his talent, his general speed and car control is something very few people in the history of motorsport have had," Brundle said. "It's extraordinary.
"I have no doubt whatsoever that given Red Bull were producing their own powertrain for the first time, his management would have put in an exit clause at the end of this year to see how it goes.
"Mercedes are saying there's no room at this inn at the moment, so I don't quite know where he's going to go."
The report said Verstappen also suggested Formula 1’s rulemakers can keep him in the sport by changing the rules.
Brundle, who started 165 Formula 1 races, including some as Michael Schumacher’s teammate, said Verstappen’s criticism was direct but also said he did not expect him to walk away.
"He's doing quite a lot of damage meanwhile, but we all appreciate that's how Max rock and rolls," Brundle said.
"I'd be surprised if he really walks away from it. It's great to be at the Nurburgring, I've done that -- but do I think he'd just walk away from F1? No, I don't, provided he can get a car that suits him.
"His points are brutally made, but well made that this is just wrong at the moment. But what a Schumacher would have done is close the door, thump the desk, metaphorically get a hold of the right people by the throat and walk out with a smile an"
