A poor start to the season, criticism of the regulations, and unrest within the team: Max Verstappen is facing a difficult situation in Formula 1
Following a difficult start to the 2026 Formula 1 season, Max Verstappen has expressed doubts about his future at Red Bull for the first time. The four-time world champion stated that he has “life decisions” to make. The 2026 Formula 1 rules have raised serious questions for Max Verstappen, who is one of the biggest critics of the new regulations.
The 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 world champion caused a stir even before the current season began when he described the rules as “anti-racing” and “Formula E on steroids” due to the powertrains’ greater reliance on electric power.
Criticism of the new Formula 1 rules
This led to battery management playing a key role in the first three Grands Prix of 2026. Drivers frequently downshifted on straights, lifted off the throttle early and coasted into corners, or used so-called “super-clipping”—where the car recovers energy at full throttle—to stabilize the vehicle’s energy balance.
The driver field is divided in its opinion of the new rules. But those who speak out in favor of them, particularly the dominant Mercedes duo of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, do so, according to Verstappen, only “because they win races.”
Difficult start to the season for Red Bull
To make matters worse for the Dutchman, his Red Bull team has had a poor start to the season. The RB22 suffers from significant balance issues and struggles to maintain tire grip.
The Austrian team has consequently fallen back into the midfield and sits in sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship with just 16 points. Twelve of those points come from Verstappen, who is ninth in the drivers’ standings.
So the situation is serious. So serious, in fact, that after the recent race in Japan—where he finished eighth following an early exit in Q2—Verstappen stated he had to make “life decisions,” particularly regarding his future and whether to remain in Formula 1.
Future beyond 2028 uncertain
Whether he will remain in the championship beyond the end of his current contract in 2028 has been a topic of discussion for some time. But this was the first time he has questioned his immediate future. This comes against the backdrop of Verstappen increasingly participating in GT3 endurance races. The 28-year-old will compete in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring on May 16 and 17.
Prior to that, however, he was asked about his “life decisions” statement in the run-up to the Miami Grand Prix. Verstappen says: “Yes, to be honest, there’s nothing new to report on that. I’ve been busy with other things in recent weeks, but I still have time and am taking it.”
Lambiase’s departure raises questions
Miami is the first race in five weeks following Japan, as the Saudi Arabian and Bahraini Grands Prix had to be canceled due to the conflict in the Middle East.
During this time, it was also announced that Verstappen’s longtime race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, will move to McLaren by 2028 at the latest. Consequently, he was asked how much this might affect Verstappen’s future. However, he emphasized that it had “nothing to do with it,” even though he had previously said he didn’t want to work with another race engineer.
“Otherwise, I won’t be able to drive anymore—I’ll just have to work with someone else,” Verstappen added. “But I think times change, and given the offer he received, I would have been an idiot to try to keep him.”
“It’s not always just about me, but also about his career and his future,” the Dutchman emphasized. “For me, it was a clear decision. But as for the future, we’re now looking ahead with a different race engineer. I’m sure we’ll find a solution for that as well.”