Max Verstappen: How realistic is prospect of Red Bull driver quitting Formula 1 at end of 2026 season after Japanese GP comments | F1 News

Following Max Verstappen’s claim after Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix that he is seriously considering quitting Formula 1, Sky Sports F1 assess how realistic the prospect of the four-time world champion walking away actually is.

The biggest rule change in F1 history saw new power units and chassis introduced for the 2026 season, with an attempt to make the sport more sustainable resulting in greater reliance on electrical energy.

Across testing and the opening three rounds of the season, the cars have split opinion among the drivers, with Verstappen consistently the most outspoken critic. Others, such as seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, have praised the more exciting racing the cars have produced.

Verstappen’s frustrations centre around a feeling that competing in the new cars is more about energy management than pure traditional speed and skill.

The 28-year-old Dutchman had expressed reservations over the changes long before their introduction, but the events in Australia, China and Japan, during which he and his Red Bull team have struggled badly, only appear to have strengthened his convictions.

Following repeated remarks revealing his dissatisfaction with the cars over the last few weeks, Verstappen went a step further on Sunday when he was asked by BBC Sport whether he was going to walk away at the end of the season.

Verstappen said: “That’s what I’m saying. I’m thinking about everything inside this paddock.

“Privately I’m very happy. You also wait for 24 races. This time it’s 22. But normally 24. And then you just think about is it worth it? Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family? Seeing my friends more when you’re not enjoying your sport?”

What changes could Verstappen be demanding?

While it was Verstappen’s apparent quit threat that stole the spotlight from new championship leader Kimi Antonelli’s win in Japan, there were five crucial words towards the end of the interview which suggested the Dutchman’s fate is far from sealed.

“They know what to do,” Verstappen said as he implied the bosses of F1 could alter his thinking by changing the rules.

Verstappen clearly wants changes to F1’s current style of racing which relies heavily on energy management, not only in races, but also qualifying.

F1’s new power-unit regulations see a 50 per cent split between electrical output and internal combustion engine output. The extra reliance on electricity means the drivers need to recharge their battery in an optimal way, or the car does it for them by ‘super clipping’ – slowing down to recharge the battery.

This partly led to Oliver Bearman’s big crash on Sunday at Suzuka when the Haas driver took to the grass to avoid the Alpine of Franco Colapinto, who was slowing down to recharge his battery. The drivers appear to be largely united in wanting to alter this element to avoid potential danger.

The increased reliance on battery power has led to the ‘yo-yo’ style of racing where drivers pass and re-pass each other due to different deployment strategies, another aspect Verstappen does not enjoy.

Hamilton, his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ George Russell have said they have enjoyed the new style of wheel-to-wheel combat, but Verstappen was left unimpressed after failing to pass Alpine’s Pierre Gasly as they battled for seventh in Japan.

“You just can’t pass. Well, you can pass, but then you have no battery the next straight,” Verstappen said. “So, I tried one time just to have a look, so I passed him into the final chicane, but then yeah, you have no battery the next straight. So I was like, ‘see you later’.”

The challenge of battery management has also spilled over into qualifying as drivers are seemingly unable to push to the limit.

Although Verstappen has not gone into detail on this aspect of driving, Leclerc explained in Japan that he was frustrated that attempting to push harder at the end of qualifying was actually losing him time, as going faster through corners was throwing off his energy deployment.

How realistic are the changes Verstappen might want?

Ahead of the race weekend in Japan, the FIA altered its previously planned energy recharge limit in an attempt to allow drivers to push harder without issue, but this was not enough to satisfy much of the field.

Formula 1 and the FIA will hold meetings with the teams in April to discuss the new regulations, with a five-week break – following the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to ongoing conflict in the region – giving the sport’s bosses plenty of time to consider tweaks before the Miami Grand Prix at the start of May.

Despite clearly being open to changes, the FIA warned following the Japanese Grand Prix: “Any potential adjustments, particularly those related to energy management, require careful simulation and detailed analysis.”

Williams’ Carlos Sainz confirmed the drivers have been told the FIA is looking into further changes for qualifying which would theoretically allow them to push to the limit without being compromised.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says a “simple solution does not exist” and the changes he envisages making a significant difference would likely be for 2027, rather than the next race in Miami.

Sky Sports F1’s Bernie Collins highlighted increasing fuel-flow rate, which would allow the internal combustion engines to produce more power, as a possible solution for improving racing, but questioned whether all the teams would agree to a change.

Collins said: “Of course, we want to improve the racing and make it as safe as possible, that should be front and foremost all the time, but every team knows if they have an advantage or disadvantage with the rule they are suggesting and putting forward.”

Lobbying from teams might not just be about competitiveness. Audi joined F1 and Honda decided to remain in the sport largely because the new 2026 regulations were shifting towards carbon neutrality and increased electrification.

Eradicating an aspect of electrification would undermine the reasons for Audi and Honda being on the grid, so persuading them to agree to fundamental regulation changes would likely be challenging.

Is the problem actually Red Bull’s performance?

Verstappen’s criticism of the new regulations has led some to question how much Red Bull’s lack of performance is contributing to his frustration.

Verstappen won four successive world championships from 2021-2024 and finished second to Lando Norris in 2025, the final year of the previous ground-effect car regulations.

This year, he has twice failed to make it through to Q3, finished the race sixth in Australia, retired in China, and was eighth in Japan.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, whose team has won all three races this year, said after the Chinese Grand Prix that he thought the “horror show” at Red Bull was contributing to Verstappen’s criticisms.

While Wolff’s comments could be seen as the Mercedes chief protecting the interests of his team amid their strong start, the same cannot be said for Verstappen’s own team boss, Laurent Mekies, expressing the same sentiment.

Speaking around the same time as Verstappen following Sunday’s race in Japan, Mekies said: “We have a lot of work to do, but I’m sure by the time we give him a fast car, he will be a much happier Max.”

Verstappen also addressed the theory on Sunday and appeared to insist that being more competitive would not dramatically change his stance.

“Now 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.”

Verstappen claimed that if he liked the cars more he could “easily accept” being off the leading pace, but it is worth noting that this is the first time he has gone three successive races without finishing in the top five since the summer of 2017, shortly before he turned 20.

Even when he has had an imperfect championship-contending car over the last couple of seasons, Verstappen’s hunger and competitiveness have seen him become hugely frustrated with his team in some of the tougher moments.

We will not know unless Red Bull complete a remarkable turnaround or Verstappen moves elsewhere instead of quitting, but it is hard to believe being in championship contention would not improve his mood.

Was Verstappen bound to leave F1 anyway?

While it is rare for drivers to walk away from F1 at the peak of their powers, with Nico Rosberg’s exit from the sport after his 2016 title win making him the only recent example, Verstappen has long been adamant he does not want to extend his career in the style of Hamilton or Fernando Alonso.

As he prepared for his 200th F1 race, the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix, Verstappen said he had “passed halfway for sure” in his career.

His current contract runs until the end of 2028 but is understood to contain performance-related exit clauses that would allow Verstappen to either quit the sport or join another team should Red Bull be off the pace midway through the season, which appears likely to be the case this year.

While many of his interests do seem to centre around driving, it is certainly fair to say they are not limited to F1. Verstappen has his own Sim Racing team and has recently branched into GT3, competing at the Nurburging between F1 races in China and Japan ahead of his planned appearance at the circuit’s 24-hour endurance race in May.

Verstappen also became a father for the first time in May 2025, and has often spoken about how much he enjoys his time away from F1 with family and friends.

He reiterated that sentiment when explaining his thoughts on Sunday, saying: “Privately I’m very happy. You also wait for 24 races. This time it’s 22. But normally 24. And then you just think about is it worth it? Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family? Seeing my friends more when you’re not enjoying your sport?”

Having made his debut at the age of 17, a break for Verstappen has seemed inevitable for a while. The biggest question is perhaps whether it would be a permanent departure from F1 or a sabbatical.

In the event Verstappen does walk away from F1 in the not-so-distant future, it is fair to assume whether or not he returned would come down to the regulations and whether he expected to enjoy driving the cars.

Therefore, his dialogue – through the media – with the FIA might not only be about its short-term decisions but also about what it plans to do when the current rules cycle is scheduled to end in 2030.

Formula 1 returns on May 1-3 with the Miami Grand Prix, the season’s second Sprint weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime