Martin Brundle says "boring" Max Verstappen should leave Formula 1 or stop talking

Those statements come as a surprise from Brundle, a former F1 driver who raced in an era of true racing (1984-1996) alongside greats such as seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher.

The driver-turned-pundit has built a reputation of being objective while being the only voice of reason on the team of Sky Sports F1 pundits. His current statements, however, will make us see him in a different light.

While Verstappen has been the most vocal about the current formula, even hinting at an early exit from F1, other drivers have also shared their concern with varying levels of severity.

But addressing the Red Bull Racing driver's statements, Brundle said: "Max is very unfiltered, isn't he? He always has been, and he's talked a lot for a long time about 'I'm not in this for the 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," the 66-year-old maintained.

And while Verstappen's exit will be a huge blow to F1, Brundle believes otherwise; he added: "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," he insisted.

However, the Briton managed to get some positive words about Verstappen; he said: "I would hugely miss his talent; his general speed and car control are something very few people in the history of motorsport have had. It's extraordinary.

"I have no doubt whatsoever that given Red Bull was 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," he added, contemplating the Dutchman's future.

Brundle went on lambasting Verstappen's approach, claiming Schumacher, for example, would've done things differently.

He said: "He's doing quite a lot of damage meanwhile, but we all appreciate that's how Max rocks and rolls.

"I'd be surprised if he really walks away from it. It's great to be at the Nürburgring; 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," he claimed. "But what a Schumacher would have done is close the door, thump the desk, and metaphorically get a hold of the right people by the throat and walk out with a smile and say everything's fine.

"And then if they don't sort it out, which we're looking forward to in Miami, then you start going to the media. That's just not how Max does things," Brundle concluded. (Source: Sky Sports, The F1 Show)