Max Verstappen’s chilling warning to F1 bosses: ‘They know what to do’

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Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen’s chilling warning to F1 bosses: ‘They know what to do’

Max Verstappen may have just issued an F1 ultimatum

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Thursday 2 April 2026 11:59

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Conflicted F1 star Max Verstappen has sent an ultimatum threat to the sport's bosses following persistent complaints about the new regulations.

The Dutchman excelled throughout F1's second ground effect era, picking up four consecutive drivers' championships and contributing to two back-to-back constructors' titles between 2021 and 2024.

But he had never been shy about his low expectations for the 2026 regulations cycle, and now that the first three races of the championship have passed, Verstappen has admitted he is reconsidering his future in F1.

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During pre-season testing, the Dutchman claimed the sport's new power unit regulations made F1 more like 'Formula E on steroids', and after finishing P8 at last weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, reports spread that he is 'seriously considering' retirement.

Before hitting the track for his 10th full season with Red Bull, the 28-year-old spoke of the importance of loyalty to the energy drink giants, maintaining that his dream was to only race with the Red Bull family throughout his career.

But as the four-time champion has begun to look elsewhere to get his racing kicks, one must wonder if his threats of retirement are genuine or if they are simply a way to push the sport towards a more favourable change in regulations.

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Verstappen teases 'other projects' as F1 regulations change take the 'fun' out of racing

Some of Verstappen's rivals have accused him of only speaking out against the new regulations cycle because he is no longer winning, but the Red Bull star has denied that being his motivation, insisting he only wants to have fun whilst competing.

In Japan, he told BBC Sport: "People can easily say, 'Yeah, well, you've won so many championships and races and now just because the car is not good you are complaining.' Maybe you can see it like that, but I see it different."

He then pointed out that should he choose to take an early retirement from F1, he would still have the option of racing in sports cars, with his participation in the Nurburgring 24 Hours later this year already confirmed.

"I have a lot of other projects anyway that I have a lot of passion about," the 28-year-old continued.

"The GT3 racing. Not only racing it myself but also the team. It's really nice and fun to build that. And I really want to build that out further in the coming years.

"It's not like if I would stop here that I'm not going to do anything. I'm always going to have fun. And also I will have fun in a lot of other things in my life.

"But it's a bit sad to be honest that we're even talking about this. It is what it is. You don't need to feel sorry for me. I'll be fine."

Verstappen then turned his attention to the higher ups with the power to make a change to the new regulations, which have proved highly unpopular with many drivers, not just Verstappen.

He then implied that making further changes to the new regulations that currently rely so heavily on energy management could convince him to stick around for longer, concluding: "They know what to do."

The FIA confirmed after a scary crash for Ollie Bearman in Suzuka that a meeting had been put in place to review whether further tweaks to the 2026 rules were in order.

When does Verstappen's F1 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 as rumours of a new clause for 2026 continue to swirl, 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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