During Red Bull’s previous era of ground-effect supremacy, such was the dizzying level of domination, there was often not much to write home about when attending Max Verstappen’s media sessions. That is now very much not the case. On the contrary, his powerful outbursts to the press have been a regular vignette of the new Formula 1 season in its opening phase.
When did you first hear of Verstappen’s grumpiness? Was it his stinging disapproval of the new 2026 cars at pre-season testing and the first two races? Was it the Dutchman banishing a British journalist in Japan for a question asked three-and-a-half months ago? Was it his threat to quit F1 at the end of the season, vocalised on Sunday after finishing eighth at the Japanese Grand Prix?
Clearly, all is not well in camp Verstappen. Comments this week, from his fiery father Jos, best highlight the 28-year-old’s deep-rooted dissatisfaction with the sport. “Max used to think racing a Formula 1 car was the most beautiful thing there was,” Jos told Dutch outlet De Telegraaf.
“But now I have a rather bleak outlook. I wish I could say it wasn’t so… but with an eye on the future, I do see this becoming a problem.”
It should be noted that Verstappen has threatened to quit F1 before, even when at his pomp. In 2023, the most dominant year of his career, he said it was “not worth it” if the number of sprint races were increased. A year later, when punished for swearing in an FIA press conference, he said he was finding F1 “really tiring” and hinted at walking away.
To a point, these statements felt like empty threats. Why on earth would Verstappen, one of F1’s modern greats, retire when at the peak of his powers? Would he seriously turn his nose up at the chance to win more world championships, placing him in the pantheon of racing legends?
This year feels different, however. A myriad of circumstances depict why Verstappen’s latest mooting of retirement, candidly told to BBC Radio 5 Live on Sunday, is genuine on this occasion.
The first is the state of the sport and Red Bull’s downturn in performance. Back in 2023, Verstappen warned that simulations of the 2026 car looked “terrible.” He would argue, as would many other drivers on the grid, that he has been proved correct.
Qualifying has become an examination of energy management and engine power, as opposed to all-out, on-the-limit speed behind the wheel. The process of lifting-and-coasting on straights, downshifting gears to harvest depleted energy reserves, is undoubtedly against the very nature of what Formula 1 should stand for.
In races, the numerous overtaking aids now used – overtake mode, boost mode and active aerodynamics – have triggered Verstappen to compare the sport to Mario Kart. He referenced the use of the “mushroom” in the computer game on Sunday after Ollie Bearman’s 191mph crash and, at testing in Bahrain, says it was “like Formula E on steroids.”
He has not minced his words: he hates these new cars. “It doesn’t feel natural to a racing driver,” he told 5 Live. “I try to adapt but it’s not nice, the way you have to race. It’s really anti-driving. At one point, yeah, it’s just not what I want to do.”
While he insists it is not a basis for his unhappiness, Red Bull’s current plight is not helpful. They are currently sixth in the constructors’ standings and Verstappen is already 60 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli. His inability to compete with the quickest cars has provoked levity in the cockpit; when passed by former teammate Pierre Gasly at Suzuka, he waved to the Alpine car. Some may, therefore, see his growing angst as sour grapes.
One thing is certain: it is why constant links with a move to Mercedes last year made complete sense. The forecast was right: the Silver Arrows are the leaders of the pack.
Other factors are at play, too. While only 28, Verstappen has raced in F1 since he was a child, at just 17 years old. This is his 12th consecutive season and, by the summer break, he will be fifth on the all-time list of most consecutive races, behind just Rubens Barrichello, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
More than ever, it seems his patience with the record-long calendar and the extravagance of the weekend spectacle is wearing thin. His unnecessary booting out of a Guardian journalist from his media session on Thursday speaks to that.
There also seems a very real longing to spend more time at home in Monaco. His daughter Lily, with long-term girlfriend Kelly Piquet (the daughter of three-time F1 world champion Nelson Piquet), will turn one in May. Verstappen is also a “bonus Dad”, as he puts it, to Kelly’s six-year-old daughter Penelope, from a previous relationship with ex-Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat.
“Privately I’m very happy,” Verstappen said on Sunday. “Normally it’s 24 [races]. 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 the sport?”
What is obvious is that Verstappen would not retire from racing altogether. In contrast to his current view of F1, his eyes light up when speaking about endurance racing and he has confirmed his participation in the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring event in mid-May. Last week, he also announced his “Team Redline” simulator team would be rebranded as “Verstappen Sim Racing”, hinting at more focus in the virtual world.
Combined, all of this paints a picture that an axing of his £50m-a-year Red Bull contract, two years early, is a fathomable proposition. Of course, his team’s competitiveness can improve. F1 and the FIA are also eyeing changes to the current regulations, though modifications can only go so far.
To me, the most logical step is for Verstappen to take a sabbatical at the end of the season. A one-year break from the globetrotting circus could reinvigorate him as he enters his 30s and, undoubtedly, he would be of interest to every team on the grid in 2028. His hope would also be that this new generation of car is tweaked to ensure a purer form of driving, both on Saturdays and Sundays.
Fernando Alonso took a similar step at the end of the 2010s, racing at Le Mans and in IndyCar, before returning full-time. Michael Schumacher, too, took a break as his era of Ferrari domination ended and came back three years later with Mercedes. Don’t be surprised if Verstappen opts for a similar trajectory.
