Martin Brundle says he doesn't think Max Verstappen will quit Formula 1, so long as the four-time world champion "can get a car that pleases him".
Verstappen said after Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix - the third race of the season - that he is seriously considering his future in the sport amid his dissatisfaction with the new cars introduced for 2026.
The biggest rule change in F1 history saw new power units and chassis introduced, with an attempt to make the sport more sustainable, resulting in greater reliance on electrical energy.
The cars have so far split opinion among the drivers, with Verstappen consistently the most outspoken critic. Others, such as seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, have praised the more exciting racing the cars have produced.
Speaking on the latest episode of The F1 Show podcast, Your Site pundit Brundle said: "I would hugely miss his talent.
"His generational speed and car control is something that very few people in the history of motorsport have had. It's quite extraordinary."
Verstappen's future proved a major topic of discussion on the latest episode of The F1 Show, released to listen to on podcast platforms or watch on YouTube, looking back at the Japanese Grand Prix weekend with Your Site F1's Natalie Pinkham, David Croft and Martin Brundle
Listen below to the full episode, which includes more discussion on Verstappen's future, the battle between Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, and Oliver Bearman's "scary" high-speed crash:
Verstappen insists his frustrations stem from a feeling that competing in the new cars is more about energy management than pure traditional speed and skill.
However, Brundle believes that the 28-year-old Dutchman's frustration is being significantly heightened by the fact his Red Bull team have started the season way off the benchmark set by Mercedes, who previously pushed hard to sign Verstappen for this year.
A lack of pace for Red Bull, who have manufactured their own engine for the first time in the team's history, has seen Verstappen go three successive races without finishing in the top five since the summer of 2017, shortly before he turned 20.
Verstappen has suggested he has other interests away from F1 that he would rather pursue. He has his own Sim Racing team and has recently branched into GT3, competing at the Nurburgring between F1 races in China and Japan ahead of his planned appearance at the circuit's 24-hour endurance race in May.
Brundle continued: "I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that, given they were building their own powertrain for the first time, his management would have put in an exit clause at the end of the year to see how it goes.
"Mercedes is saying, 'no, there's no place at this particular inn at the moment'. So, quite what he would do, I don't know. Nobody's indispensable in this business.
"I'd be surprised if he'd really walk away from it. It's great to be at the Nürburgring. I've done that in the paddock - 150 cars on the track. He'll find the 24-hour race quite challenging, quite sketchy.
"But he's got his own team. He loves that. He loves his sim racing. Do I think he'd just walk away from F1? No, I don't, providing he can get a car that pleases him."
Formula 1 returns on May 1-3 with the Miami Grand Prix, the season's second Sprint weekend, live on Your Site F1.
