Max Verstappen hits out at 'anti-driving' F1 in quit threat

Max Verstappen, Red Bull, Japan, 2026 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Max Verstappen hits out at 'anti-driving' F1 in quit threat

Verstappen's love of racing is really being tested in 2026

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 1 April 2026 16:55

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Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen has moved to assure the sport's media that he is genuinely considering retirement at the end of 2026 thanks to his view of the new regulations.

The Dutchman has endured a less than ideal start to not just the 2026 campaign, but also the new regulations cycle, which has left Red Bull far from the top of the competitive order.

Ahead of this year's championship, F1's chassis and power unit regulations were entirely overhauled, with Red Bull tackling the challenge of building their first in-house power unit with the help of Ford.

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But despite looking steady during pre-season testing, Verstappen has largely struggled to extract performance from his new Red Bull machinery, admitting during the season-opening Australian GP that he was, "completely drained emotionally," when piloting the RB22.

Two rounds later and things aren't looking much better for the Dutchman, who finished P8 in Sunday's Japanese GP and was knocked out of Q3 on Saturday by Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad.

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen at breaking point as journalists demand FIA action

Are Verstappen's F1 retirement threats serious?

Speaking to BBC Sport, at Suzuka, Verstappen shared just how deep his dislike of the new regulations runs, maintaining he has found no joy in racing since the start of the year.

His best result across the opening three grands prix was P6 in Melbourne, with many of his rivals claiming he is only complaining about the new regulations because he is no longer winning.

Reigning champion Lando Norris even went as far to say that Verstappen "can retire," if he hates the new rules so much.

But Verstappen has shut that theory down, telling the BBC last weekend: "I can easily accept to be in P7 or P8 where I am... 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 at the same time when you are in P7 or P8 and you are not enjoying the whole formula behind it, it doesn't feel natural to a racing driver."

The 28-year-old then labelled the level of energy management required to drive the new F1 cars as being more akin to 'anti-driving' than racing.

He continued: "Of course I try to adapt to it, but it's not nice the way you have to race. It's really anti-driving. 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 any more because this has always been my passion."

When does Verstappen's contract expire?

Max Verstappen's current F1 contract with Red Bull is not set to expire until the end of the 2028 championship.

Last year however, there was talk of a potential exit clause in his contract, which the four-time champion was rumoured to be able to activate on a performance basis if Red Bull were not capable of giving him a car competitive enough to remain within the top three or four in the drivers' standings.

Red Bull never officially spoke on the rumoured clause or its terms and after months of speculation surrounding a switch to Mercedes, Verstappen reaffirmed his loyalty to the energy drink giants.

But who's to say he wouldn't move to terminate his current contract prematurely if Red Bull's struggles under the new regulations continue?

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen 2026 regulations