Four-time world champion Max Verstappen says he is considering quitting Formula 1 at the end of the 2026 season amid his dissatisfaction with the sport’s new regulations.
This year brought the biggest rule change in F1 history, with new power units and chassis and a greater shift toward electrical energy that requires different approaches from drivers. Verstappen had warned about the rules before they were introduced, and his dislike of them has likely been worsened by Red Bull’s struggles over the opening three rounds of the season.
After finishing eighth in Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen gave his strongest comments yet on his future. Asked whether he might walk away at the end of the season, he told BBC Sport: “That’s what I’m saying. I’m thinking about everything inside this paddock. Privately I’m very happy. You also wait for 24 races. This time it’s 22. But normally 24. And then you just think about is it worth it? Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family? Seeing my friends more when you’re not enjoying your sport?”
Verstappen, who won four successive world championships from 2021-2024 before finishing second to McLaren’s Lando Norris last year, rejected the idea that his doubts are simply down to Red Bull’s competitiveness. “I can easily accept to be in P7 or P8 where I am,” he said. “Because I also know that you can’t be dominating or be first or second or whatever, fighting for a podium every time. I’m very realistic in that and I’ve been there before. I’ve not only been winning in F1.”
But he added that racing in P7 or P8 “and you are not enjoying the whole formula behind it, it doesn’t feel natural to a racing driver.” He described the current style of racing as “anti-driving” and said: “Then at one point, yeah, it’s just not what I want to do. And of course you can look at it and make a lot of money. Great. But at the end of the day it’s not about money anymore because this has always been my passion.”
Verstappen has sought enjoyment elsewhere, competing recently in a GT3 race at the Nürburgring. He warned his current struggles are “not healthy,” saying: “You hear it from a lot of sports people when you speak to them about how you are successful. It all starts with actually enjoying what you’re doing before you can actually commit to it 100 per cent. Now I think I’m committing 100 per cent and I’m still trying, but the way that I am telling myself to give it 100 per cent I think is not very healthy at the moment because I am not enjoying what I’m doing. And now people can easily say, ‘Yeah, well, you’ve won so many championships and races and now just because the car is not good you are complaining.’ Maybe you can see it like that, but I see it different.”
F1 returns on May 1-3 with the Miami Grand Prix, the season’s second Sprint weekend, live on Sky Sports F1.