Max Verstappen<\/a> said his current unhappiness has left all options on the table, including retirement once the current Formula 1 season ends.<\/p>\nA winner of 71 \u200bcareer F1 races, which trails only Lewis Hamilton (105) and Michael Schumacher (91) \u200call-time, Verstappen finished eighth at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The four-time F1 drivers’ champion from 2021 to 2024 for Red Bull relinquished his seat at the top \u200bof the sport when McLaren’s Lando Norris won the title last \u200bseason.<\/p>\n
Verstappen, 29, has bemoaned recent technical changes to F1 cars and \u2060reiterated his disappointment Sunday, according to the BBC. New F1 engines now \u200bhave a 50-50 split between electrical power and fuel combustion.<\/p>\n
On the record as \u200bcritical of the changes, the Dutch driver was asked if there was a chance he would walk away from his Red Bull contract that runs through the 2028 season.<\/p>\n
“That’s what \u200bI’m saying,” said Verstappen, who finished sixth in the season-opening race at \u200bAustralia, did not finish at China and had his worst finish of the season Sunday.<\/p>\n
With \u200craces \u2060at Bahrain and Saudi Arabia canceled this season because of conflict in the Middle East, the F1 schedule now heads into a one-month pause and will return May 3 at Miami. It is widely believed that Verstappen will weigh \u200bhis future before racing \u200bresumes, while expecting \u2060to finish out the season regardless of what he decides.<\/p>\n
“Privately I’m very happy,” Verstappen said, according to the BBC. “You \u200balso wait for 24 races. This (season) it’s 22. But normally \u200b24. \u2060And 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 \u2060not enjoying \u200byour sport?”<\/p>\n
Verstappen is not only struggling in \u200braces, he failed to emerge from the second stage of pole qualifying Saturday, when only the best \u200b10 lap times move on to the third and final stage.<\/p>\n
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![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/7dd61be849264152918dac6bfab020df.jpg\"\/)
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen ahead of the race in Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, Japan, March 29, 2026. (PHOTO \/ REUTERS)<\/p>\n