F1 News: Red Bull insider on Max Verstappen quit threat: 'When he talks I listen'

Max Verstappen

Red Bull insider on Max Verstappen F1 quit threat: 'When he talks I listen'

What will Verstappen do next?

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 27 June 2026 08:15 Updated: 09:11

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A former close ally of Max Verstappen has suggested that the Dutchman's threats to quit the sport are not just empty sound bites.

Verstappen has been very vocal about the new regulations which have swept into F1 since the start of the year, claiming that the new cars are 'not fun' to drive.

Earlier this season, Verstappen admitted he was 'seriously considering' retiring from the sport at the tender age of 28.

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Verstappen's manager Raymond Vermeulen also revealed last week that there are exit clauses in the Dutchman's contract, increasing speculation that he could yet join another team.

Now, Verstappen's former chief mechanic Calum Nicholas says the four-time world champion cares deeply about F1 and wants it to remain a fun sport.

Nicholas, now a Red Bull Racing ambassador, says he sits up and takes notice when he hears Verstappen's quit threats.

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen in 'secret McLaren talks' as Red Bull star set for exit

Is Max Verstappen's threat to quit F1 for real?

"I think Max is one of those people that he's the same guy Monday through Sunday, and he is honest, right?," Nicholas told the Up to Speed podcast.

"I think that's what a lot of us kind of appreciate about Max is that he won't just do what someone tells him to say.

"So, I think, for the most part, I say that I listen to what Max says in these things, and I don't think it's one of those things that Max saying, 'Oh, well, I'll walk away.' I think he's saying that 'I want this sport to be the F1 that we love'.

Calum Nicholas takes notice when Verstappen speaks.

"He is the only other driver that's allowed to go out there and race other motorsports at his leisure, right? And he does that because he loves racing.

Verstappen 'just being honest' says Nicholas

"So, when he says 'there's a lot of racing that I love, and these are the things that I love about F1, but I need it to stay the F1 that I love,' I think he's just being honest.

"I think it's odd for us in that we know so many other drivers, they have other passions outside of racing, their hobbies, and this, that... Max love this, that's his hobby, right?

"Yeah, he does what he loves for a living, right, and that's not going to change."

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Calum Nicholas