Max Verstappen said after the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka that he is rethinking his future in Formula 1 because he is no longer enjoying the sport under the new regulations.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Verstappen made clear his frustration is not about Red Bull’s early-season competitiveness. He said he can accept racing in seventh or eighth place and understands that drivers cannot always fight for podiums, noting that he has not only been winning in F1. His complaint is about how the new format forces him to race, which he called unnatural for a racing driver and, at times, anti-driving.
Verstappen said the problem is no longer money. Having won four straight drivers’ titles from 2021–24 and narrowly missed last year’s title by two points to Lando Norris, he said he races for passion. As a child he imagined racing for the love of it rather than financial reward, and right now he is not having the fun he expected. He still values the team environment and the people around him, describing his crew as a second family, but added that sitting in the car has become “not the most enjoyable unfortunately.”
The 26-year-old pinpointed the sport’s new energy-management demands as the
