F1 superstar Max Verstappen warns 'I'll just race somewhere else' over 2026 complaints

Max Verstappen

'I'll just race somewhere else': Max Verstappen addresses F1 fans after 2026 car complaint

F1 is on Verstappen retirement watch...again

Chris Deeley

Saturday 14 February 2026 20:53

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Max Verstappen has hinted to F1 fans that they might see him enjoying a brat summer sooner rather than later.

That is, a bratwurst summer! The Dutchman is toying once again with the idea of ditching F1, but insisted this week that he'd continue racing even so – just 'somewhere else', with a barbecue and a party tent.

Verstappen has made no secret of his dislike of the effect the new 2026 regulations have had on the new batch of cars, complaining at this week's testing in Bahrain and dropping hints once again that his future may lie outside F1 sooner than many truly expect.

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The 28-year-old talking about leaving the sport is nothing new. The four-time world champion has been warning that he could hang up his helmet at the end of his Red Bull contract since the 2022 season. It's just that most observers have broadly worked under the theory that the many, many millions of Euros and the prestige of F1 will keep him around into his 30s.

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The last 12 months have seen the question of retirement raised at a much higher rate though, with Red Bull finally falling off their pedestal as the sport's fastest team and Verstappen being forced to get back in the trenches and fight for podiums.

Asked by the media this week whether Dutch fans should be worried about seeing him race in the future, he answered: "No way, I'll just race somewhere else. We could probably have a barbecue there and set up a nice party tent."

Some drivers appear to have grown a little weary of being asked about a potential Verstappen retirement – possibly even as much as Verstappen himself is weary of being asked the same question, with the same answer, for the last three and a half years – with Lando Norris giving a particularly flip answer this week in Bahrain.

"[The new car was] a lot of fun; I really enjoyed it," he said. "So, yeah, if he wants to retire, he can retire. Formula 1 changes all the time. Sometimes it's a bit better to drive, sometimes it's not as good to drive.

"We get paid a stupid amount of money to drive, so you can't really complain at the end of the day. Any driver can go and find something else to do. It's not like he has to be here, or any driver has to be here.

"It's a challenge, but it's a good, fun challenge for the engineers, for the drivers. You have to drive it in a different way, understand and manage things differently, but I still get to drive cars and travel the world and have a lot of fun. So, nothing to complain about."

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen