F1 champion Max Verstappen battling ‘conflicting’ retirement thoughts

Max Verstappen in Shanghai — Photo: © IMAGO

Formula 1

F1 champion Max Verstappen battling ‘conflicting’ retirement thoughts

Max Verstappen's patience is wearing thin in 2026

By Kerry Violet.

Saturday 21 March 2026 19:00

Four-time champion Max Verstappen has admitted he has not been feeling certain of his future in F1 thanks to his dislike of the new regulations.

The Dutchman appears to be feeling at odds with the sport lately after a disastrous start to his 2026 campaign, where he has only picked up eight points across the opening two race weekends.

The 28-year-old has taken a loud and persistent approach to sharing his dislike of the new regulations, which he claims makes his new Red Bull 'emotionally draining' to drive.

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For 2026, the chassis and power unit regulations have been given a complete overhaul, with the focus on electrical energy being tripled after the MGU-H was removed completely from the new power units.

And though Verstappen's Red Bull team initially impressed the paddock by proving the reliability of their first in-house power unit during pre-season testing, the DM01 used in the RB22 and the VCARB 03 has begun to show cracks.

Could Verstappen retire over F1 2026 disagreements?

After rattling on about his concern over the new 'Mario Kart-style' of racing, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali met with the Dutchman in an effort to calm him down.

Following the meeting, Domenicali stated he felt it was important to listen to Verstappen as an important figure in the sport, adding that he didn't think the four-time champion would be going anywhere anytime soon.

In the drivers' FIA press conference ahead of the Chinese GP weekend in Shanghai last Thursday, he was asked about Domenicali's claim that he was confident Verstappen wouldn’t want to just walk away from the sport.

Questioned over whether that view was still correct, Verstappen gave an insight into his head space after a disappointing start to the sport's new era, responding: "Yeah, I mean, I don’t want to leave really. Like I said, I wish I had a bit more fun for sure, but I’m also doing other stuff that is a lot of fun.

The 28-year-old then pointed to his return to the NLS this weekend in the absence of a grand prix, adding: "I mean, I get to race the Nordschleife. Hope in the coming years I can do Spa, hopefully Le Mans. So, I’m combining stuff to find other stuff that I find really fun as well.

"Of course, my team going on, so I have a lot of distractions at the same time. Positive distractions I would call it. But at the same time, it’s a bit conflicting because I don’t really enjoy driving the car, but I do enjoy working with all the people in the team and from the engine department as well."

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