Max Verstappen sharply criticizes the current state of Formula 1 – his hints about a premature end to his career don’t seem to be a bluff
The irony has to sink in: Max Verstappen sharply criticizes the current state of Formula 1, while at the same time he praises GT3 racing to the skies – of all things, a category that is the prime example of artificial regulations and in which participants regularly moan about the Balance of Performance (BoP).
However, his body language over the past few race weekends spoke volumes: the hints of dwindling motivation are not a bluff, they are real.
“Every day I wake up, I convince myself anew. I try,“ he confessed after the Japanese Grand Prix, when our sister portal Motorsport.com asked him how difficult it was to stay motivated with a recalcitrant car in a regulation period that he visibly detests.
Verstappen aptly compared his mood to one of the new power units: ”It starts off okay in the morning, and then it just goes: mehhhh…”.
“Is it worth it?” – Verstappen ponders retirement
The now infamous interview with Jennie Gow from the BBC followed shortly afterwards. When asked if he was seriously considering leaving Formula 1 at the end of this season, he replied tellingly: “I’m thinking about everything here in the paddock…”
“Privately, I’m very happy. But you also wait for 24 races. This time it’s 22, but normally it’s 24. And then you just ask yourself: Is it worth it? Or do I enjoy being at home with my family more? Seeing my friends more often when you’re no longer enjoying your sport?”
Verstappen has been a vocal critic of the new technical regulations since his first experience in the simulator. The fact that he is currently sitting in an inferior car has undoubtedly sharpened his views, even if he consistently denies that Red Bull’s current performance deficit is the main reason for his thoughts of retiring.
As early as the middle of last year, he signaled a declining interest in the premier class – only to regain focus when Red Bull finally understood the car and embarked on a veritable renaissance from the Italian Grand Prix onwards. As major changes to the technical regulations are unlikely in the short term, Red Bull must improve its car as quickly as possible if it does not want to lose Verstapp’s interest for good.
“A fast Max is a happy Max”
“We are fully focused on the competitive picture,” replied team boss Laurent Mekies when asked by Motorsport.com whether he feared Verstappen might lose interest. “That’s exactly what we are doing. We are not discussing any other aspects.”
Mekies is combative: “We have a lot of work ahead of us. I am sure that as soon as we give him a fast car that he can push with and make the difference, he will be a much happier Max. That is 100 percent our focus at the moment.“
On the regulations, he added: ”As you know, there are good and more difficult aspects. As a sport, we will sit down with the other teams during the break [between Japan and Miami] to see how we can readjust things.”
The problem for Red Bull is that they don’t seem to know exactly where the package is actually failing. “It’s the chassis, the powertrain, it’s everything,” admitted Mekies openly in Japan.
While the team is confident that the power unit developed in-house and in collaboration with Ford falls into the group that is eligible for changes under the ADUO (Additional Development and Opportunities) framework, the timing of the first “window” is still the subject of discussion.
The combustion engines are eligible for an upgrade during the season if their “performance index” is two percent below the top value in the field. However, upgrades may only be introduced every six races – and with the cancelations of the GPs in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, this threshold has potentially been pushed back.
No miracle cure expected for Miami
Even if Red Bull receives a performance bonus for the power unit, the dynamic deficits in the chassis and aerodynamics still need to be resolved. Significantly, so far this season the team has not managed to completely change the car overnight from free practice to qualifying, as was seen so often last year during Verstappen’s run of success.
“I am confident that we will use the break to make a decent step forward,” said Mekies. “We need the time to gain a deep insight into our data. We need to reflect what we see in the data back into the tunnel and into the simulator.“
However, he is tempering expectations: ”Does this mean that we will come to Miami and miraculously have solved everything? No. But I am confident that the team will get to the bottom of things and make improvements in Miami. But only the track and the lap times will show us whether the direction is right. You shouldn’t expect miracles when it comes to closing the gap, because the gap is substantial.”
“Anti-racing”: Why Verstappen hates the 2026 cars
Another problem that cannot be solved so easily is the characteristic of the 2026 cars that Verstappen despises so much. He is particularly bothered by the fact that the driver’s right foot no longer has the power to decide on torque delivery, but is controlled by algorithms.
The system is programmed to start every lap with a full battery. If you push too hard in the corners, you will be punished with a loss of power on the straights. This reliance on machine learning means that drivers have to use the boost when they don’t actually want to – a point that Lando Norris also criticized last weekend.
“I can accept being in seventh or eighth place, where I am at the moment,” Verstappen told the BBC. “I know that you can’t dominate or fight for the podium all the time. I’m realistic about that, I’ve been through that before. I have not only won in Formula 1.”
When passion becomes torture
However, the frustration runs deeper: “If you finish P7 or P8 and don’t enjoy the whole formula behind you, it doesn’t feel natural for a racing driver. Of course I try to adapt, but the way you have to race is not nice. It’s downright ‘anti-driving’. And at a certain point, that’s just not what I want to do anymore.“
Verstappen’s philosophy is clear: ”For many successful athletes, it all starts with enjoying what you do before you can commit 100 percent. I think I’m giving 100 percent right now and keep trying, but the way I have to force myself to do it isn’t very healthy at the moment because I’m not enjoying what I’m doing.”
His final verdict to his critics: “It’s easy for people to say: ‘Yeah, you’ve won so many titles and races, and now you’re just complaining because the car isn’t good’. Maybe you can see it that way, but I see it differently.”
