Reigning champion Lando Norris has said it would be "a miss" for Formula 1 if Max Verstappen leaves the sport due to this year's rule changes, but he doubts his Red Bull rival will walk away at the end of the year.
Verstappen has been critical of changes to F1's engine regulations this season, labelling the new rules as "anti-racing" while comparing the increase in overtaking to Mario Kart.
Following last month's Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen said he was considering quitting at the end of the year as he no longer enjoys driving the latest generation of cars.
Norris, who beat Verstappen to the title by two points last year, said the four-time champion's exit would be negative for both the sport and the drivers who want to compete against the best in the world.
"Max has earned the right to go and do whatever he wants, he's won four championships and he's always been that guy -- he's not just now -- he's always been very open to say what he thinks, whether you agree or not, or whether you should say it or shouldn't," Norris said.
"He's himself and I think that's a very good way to live your life, so it would be a shame for the sport, it would be a miss for the sport if that does happen, because he probably is one of the best drivers you'll see in Formula One ever.
"I think it would be a shame for us [the drivers] -- I think as much as he makes our lives incredibly tough at times, he's always good fun to race against and it's always cool to race against someone that's won four championships.
"You always feel like you want to race against the best in the world and he certainly is one of them."
But Norris said he does not think Verstappen will quit while the possibility of winning a fifth title remains open.
"I just saw he said he wants to win a fifth world championship at the minute, so I'm sure he'll stay longer than people say," Norris added.
Alongside his Red Bull Racing duties in F1, Verstappen will take part in this year's Nuburgring 24 Hours driving a Mercedes AMG GT3 car for his own team Verstappen Racing.
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Norris said if Verstappen does leave F1 he would enjoy watching his old rival take part in other racing series.
"It would be a loss for the sport, but to be honest I also enjoy watching the GTs on the weekend and if he gives me something to go watch and watch him in other categories, that's also a good thing for me," he said. "It would be a shame, but he's also driven some of the best cars that you see.
"I think it's relative for the people, because when you see the new guys who are coming in and this is their first year in Formula One, everyone is like, yeah these cars are sick. The guys who have driven last year's cars and some of the previous ones, of course we have something to compare against and it's all kind of relative for everyone, but hopefully things get better."
Norris' McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, also said Verstappen leaving F1 would be a loss for the sport.
"It would be a shame if that does end up happening," Piastri said. "Clearly the Red Bull doesn't look like the most competitive car at the moment, but I think the regulations are obviously being worked on, but they've needed quite a lot of work and they're certainly more complex, so I think it would be a shame for the sport to lose Max, especially at this point in his career as well.
"I think it would be a big loss for the sport as a whole, I think for us as drivers, we want to race against the best and try and prove ourselves against the best. I think Max has shown his calibre in the last 10 years and I think especially the last five or six he's been the benchmark, so I think for everyone it would be a pretty big shame and obviously not a great look."
