After Max Verstappen‘s dominant display during the 2023 F1 season, many put the Dutchman in the same league as Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher. However, it’s a little cruel to compare Verstappen to Schumacher. After all, both of them raced in different eras with different challenges. Now, the F1 photographer has come to highlight this change in the two eras, but from his point of view. 

Michael Schumacher won the bulk of his championships in the early 2000s when the F1 cars didn’t have a halo, had simpler aerodynamics, and a screaming V10 engine. Whereas for Max Verstappen, the world of F1 has turned 360° with very complicated machines and more than ever P4 and sponsor events to attend. The duties of an F1 driver are equal to those of a celeb when it comes to off-track duties. 

The F1 photographer Darren Heath recently talked about the changes that have been made in F1 in regards to photography of the drivers. The 70s were all about drivers like James Hunt flaunting themselves in the media with alcohol, almost a compulsion in those pictures. While things got subdued a bit coming into the 90s and 2000s, they were still not as tight as they are compared to these days. There are very specific rules of where and what photographers are allowed to do. 

Talking about the changes in the two eras, Darren Heath in conversation with Peter Windsor said, “Back in the day when we used to do a feature for F1 racing, Of Course, we were very fortunate that we could say to Jarno Trulli’s people, or we could say to Ralf Schumacher’s people or even to Michael Schumacher’s people, can we so this feature? Can we take them there? Can we go Jetskiing? That just doesn’t happen anymore.”

Talking about the modern-day photography of drivers, he added, “And what happens now is that the drivers walk into the paddock. Some of them wearing fancy outfits, most of them wearing team kits. The Phalanx of photographers stand to do the drivers swiping their passes and walking down the paddock. And they’re forced into doing that almost because that’s the only time we see the drivers.”

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We can only imagine what Max Verstappen’s reaction would be like if he was asked to get on a Jetski to just take some pictures. Let’s see what Verstappen said about not liking the PR stuff around F1. 

Max Verstappen only likes the racing bit of F1 and not the show around it

Max Verstappen during the Las Vegas GP expressed how the weekend was 99% show and 1% sporting event. The Dutchman is a true hardcore racer and heart and doesn’t like the marketing and sponsors stuff around F1. Red Bull recently advised on how they’re considering giving Max Verstappen fewer PR responsibilities to focus on the aspect of F1 he likes, i.e. racing. 

Max Verstappen said, “I love the driving bit, that’s what I do best. I don’t like everything else around it. I just keep saying to myself: a few more years.” Helmut Marko, after Verstappen’s Las Vegas GP comments, said, “Max generally doesn’t like all kinds of marketing and PR stuff, but eighty percent of our sponsors are American and here.”

Watch this Story: Will Max Verstappen Retire Early from F1?