New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cYou just think about: is it worth it, or do I enjoy being more at home with my family [or] seeing my friends more when you\u2019re not enjoying your sport?\u201d he told the BBC.<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to adapt to it, but it\u2019s not nice, the way you have to race. It\u2019s really anti-driving. Then at one point it\u2019s just not what I want to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m committing 100 per cent, and I\u2019m still trying, but the way that I am telling myself to give it 100 per cent I think is not very healthy at the moment because I am not enjoying what I\u2019m doing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying. I keep telling myself every day to try and enjoy it. It\u2019s just very hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
There could not be a more powerful indictment of the Formula 1 regulations as they come up for review in a crunch meeting next week.<\/p>\n
There could not be a bigger risk to Red Bull Racing as it flails with an uncompetitive car in the midfield.<\/p>\n
And there could not be a more abrupt conclusion to an era that could have stretched for a generation.<\/p>\n
PIT TALK PODCAST: Andrea Kimi Antonelli beats Oscar Piastri to victory at the Japanese Grand Prix on a big day for the Italian and a steadying one for the Australian and his McLaren team, while Max Verstappen says he\u2019s weighing up his future in Formula 1 over the sport\u2019s controversial 2026 regulations.<\/p>\n
WHAT DOES HIS CONTRACT SAY?<\/p>\n
Verstappen\u2019s contract has been the subject of intense scrutiny for years \u2014 really since he signed his big-bucks deal at the beginning of 2022.<\/p>\n
The seven-year contract is extremely long by F1 standards. What were the odds he would make it to the end of it with unchanged terms?<\/p>\n
Of course, like any contract, his has escape clauses baked into it. Reports over the years have shown them to be favourable for the Dutchman.<\/p>\n
Last year he would have been able to quit the team had he been outside the top three in the standings around the middle of the year.<\/p>\n
This year, presumably with the new regulations in mind, the terms are even better for him, with reports suggesting he can walk if he\u2019s outside the top two.<\/p>\n
Given Red Bull Racing\u2019s parlous lack of competitiveness, that clause will surely be available to him by the mid-season break.<\/p>\n
These clauses came to light in the context of a mooted move to Mercedes, something Toto Wolff has pursued with various levels of vigour over the last couple of seasons, once it became clear Red Bull Racing\u2019s success cycle had peaked and was beginning to decline.<\/p>\n
But today Verstappen isn\u2019t complaining because he wants out of Red Bull Racing. He\u2019s complaining because he wants out of Formula 1.<\/p>\n
The formula is antithetical to his racing ideology. Verstappen wants things to be as simple as possible \u2014 for there to be as little interference as possible between his right foot and the rear axle.<\/p>\n
He wants an accelerator that makes the car faster and a brake pedal that slows the car down. He wants to use his preternatural ability to get 10 tenths from the car. He doesn\u2019t want to be thinking about battery charge.<\/p>\n
In that light you can see why these new rules \u2014 which have totally neutered qualifying, which have changed the complexion of wheel-to-wheel racing and which have hindered his ability to intimidate other drivers on track \u2014 just don\u2019t work for him.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s why so much rides on next week\u2019s crunch meeting over the regulations.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unclear, though, whether enough progress can be made to keep him.<\/p>\n
Tweaks for this year are likely to be only minor, and if the qualifying problem can be solved, it\u2019ll likely be at the expense of speed, with several seconds added to the average lap time through a big reduction in electrical power.<\/p>\n
Big changes could be difficult even in the longer term, particularly given the premise of the power unit \u2014 the near 50-50 split between combustion and electrical power \u2014 is what attracted the likes of Audi in the first place and with so much money subsequently sunk into the motor.<\/p>\n
Though there appears to be consensus that some fundamental elements need to be changed, how much more combustion power relative to the hybrid motor are the manufacturers willing to accept? That could be the defining question for Verstappen\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n
Supercars exploring wildcard for F1 star | 02:49<\/p>\n
HAS RED BULL RACING CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROBLEM?<\/p>\n
Verstappen insists the intensity of his criticism has nothing to do with Red Bull Racing\u2019s lack of competitiveness. He\u2019s realistic enough to know that championship windows aren\u2019t infinite and that he can\u2019t expect to remain at the top of the sport in perpetuity.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, Red Bull Racing\u2019s 2026 decline is significant.<\/p>\n
On average this season it\u2019s the fourth fastest team. Excluding Australia, where the newness of the formula meant the gaps were much larger, and that average drops to fifth behind Alpine.<\/p>\n
Average gap to fastest, rounds 2\u20133<\/p>\n
1. Mercedes: 0.000 seconds<\/p>\n
2. McLaren: 0.488 seconds<\/p>\n
3. Ferrari: 0.583 seconds<\/p>\n
4. Alpine: 1.133 seconds<\/p>\n
5. Red Bull Racing: 1.341 seconds<\/p>\n
6. Audi: 1.523 seconds<\/p>\n
7. Haas: 1.604 seconds<\/p>\n
8. Racing Bulls: 1.763 seconds<\/p>\n
9. Williams: 2.473 seconds<\/p>\n
10. Cadillac: 3.672 seconds<\/p>\n
11. Aston Martin: 3.776 seconds<\/p>\n
Even accounting for Red Bull building its engine for the first time \u2014 an engine, for what it\u2019s worth, that at least looks in the competitive ballpark \u2014 that\u2019s dire.<\/p>\n
It stems back to decisions made almost a year ago, when the team was staring down another competitive crisis that eventually left Christian Horner vulnerable to being sacked.<\/p>\n
Rather than abandoning the wayward car to focus on 2026, Red Bull Racing committed more development resources to discovering why last year\u2019s model wasn\u2019t delivering the expected results.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were all the reasons in the world \u2026 to say, \u2018Well, you know what? Let\u2019s turn the page. 2025 did not work; let\u2019s concentrate on 2026\u2019,\u201d team principal Laurent Mekies told Beyond the Grid. \u201cYou would have been mad to want to do things differently.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth is: nobody wanted to do that in Milton Keynes. Nobody wanted to turn the page. They all wanted to get to the bottom of that 2025 car, get to the bottom of what didn\u2019t work to the level expected and turn things around.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, they knew there would be a price to pay for later, but that\u2019s how deep the fighting spirit in the team is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those efforts got Verstappen within two points of what would have been the greatest championship comeback in history.<\/p>\n
But perhaps the team didn\u2019t expect the price to be quite this steep.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thought and we still think it was the right thing to do because we felt that turning the page to 2026 would have been a little bit of an easy escape and wishful thinking that next year will be better, even though we didn\u2019t fully understand what the limitation of 2025 were,\u201d Mekies said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t think it was the right way.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course the time and energy we invested for the late push last year, does it have an impact on where you start 2026? Of course it does. Of course we pay a bit of a price today. Do we use it as an excuse? No.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not happy with the starting point, but we think we will get through these difficulties.\u201d<\/p>\n
But with Verstappen having nothing to fight for on track, his dissatisfaction with the rules has been able to grow unchecked.<\/p>\n
Bearman Japan crash sparks heated debate | 08:19<\/p>\n
COULD HE BE CONVINCED TO STAY?<\/p>\n
Would an improved car be enough for Verstappen to delay his exit? Despite the Dutchman\u2019s protestations, Mekies thinks it\u2019s his team\u2019s best shot at retaining its superstar driver.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not having the retirement talk with Max right now,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are having the hardcore analysis of how to go faster with our car.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s passionate about the sport and he wants to contribute to the sport and to make sure the sport lands in the right place, and hence he\u2019s vocal about the tweak he thinks we need to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgain, as a driver, to make sure that he can be flat out in qualifying and to make sure he can have the good racing. We are not having retirement discussions.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to come to Milton Keynes to see, as we say, the fire behind every door. You will soon realise why I\u2019m smiling right now \u2014 because we don\u2019t think about the driver market in 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think about getting a fast car, and if we get a fast car, there is no discussion about what Max is doing next year, and hence we are focused on that.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is more than just a belief for Mekies. It\u2019s a necessity.<\/p>\n
Imagine what Red Bull Racing would look like at the first round of the 2027 season if Verstappen were to leave and if the team were to continue on its current trajectory.<\/p>\n
Its line-up would be Isack Hadjar and perhaps Arvid Lindblad who, on their current tallies, have a single podium between them and would be steering a car lapping around 1.3 seconds off the pace.<\/p>\n
Hadjar clearly has considerable speed, and Red Bull is optimistic about Lindblad\u2019s potential, but this isn\u2019t the line-up of a Formula 1 powerhouse \u2014 not when Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari all comprise multiple grand prix winners and likely at least one champion apiece.<\/p>\n
It would be \u2014 with all due respect to two potential but unproven stars \u2014 the most underwhelming line-up in Red Bull Racing\u2019s race-winning history.<\/p>\n
But losing Verstappen would be about more than losing just prestige.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not just a Formula 1 driver; he lives night and day for the sport,\u201d Mekies said. \u201cHe completely understands the complex dynamics of a Formula 1 car and of a Formula 1 team.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving somebody like that that can support you driving the car development, especially through new regulations like the one we have today, is a huge advantage.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has this natural way to get people around him to understand what is important for him in the car and what is, according to him, the biggest lap time reservoir that is untapped around him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has this natural way to drag everyone behind him and to get people to give 101 per cent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something to be fast in the car; it\u2019s something else to be outside of the car and to manage to get your team, your people, to give their very best in trying to understand and to solve the limitations that you have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Red Bull Racing wouldn\u2019t be losing just a leader but its guiding star.<\/p>\n
The blow would be immeasurable.<\/p>\n
‘F*** our luck!’ – Russell CRACKS it | 00:30<\/p>\n
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s the intangible significance of Verstappen\u2019s loss to Formula 1.<\/p>\n
Despite failing to defend his championship last year, the Dutchman is still the benchmark in Formula 1.<\/p>\n
In fact last year\u2019s monumental comeback and fractional defeat only embellished his reputation for the quality of his performances, particularly in the second half of the season. Ironically Lando Norris, title winner by two points, enjoys comparatively little glow from his achievement.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s something injustice in the idea that Verstappen could leave the sport before having had the fight truly taken to him.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not to be dismissive of either Norris or Oscar Piastri last season, but given both drivers and their McLaren teams at times appeared to be doing their best to hand Verstappen the title despite having enjoyed a comfortable car advantage for most of the year, neither did enough to truly dethrone him.<\/p>\n
Given this year\u2019s champion is almost certain to be crowned without having to go through Verstappen, the same scenario will present itself this year.<\/p>\n
A driver doesn\u2019t have to beat Verstappen regularly wheel to wheel to be a worthy champion. The only criterion is to accumulate more points than every other driver to win it.<\/p>\n
But the sport\u2019s championship narrative would be done a disservice if there wasn\u2019t a real changing of the guard \u2014 if Verstappen wasn\u2019t beaten by his successor just as he beat Hamilton in 2021, just as Hamilton beat Alonso before him, and just as Alonso beat Schumacher before him.<\/p>\n
Formula 1 will recover from its contentious set of rules, but Verstappen walking out before his time is up would deal a kind of psychic damage to the story of the world championship that could take years to heal.<\/p>\n
Perhaps, though, there\u2019s an alternative way forward.<\/p>\n
If the rules aren\u2019t improved or if Red Bull Racing can\u2019t get its act together, Verstappen will quit \u2014 that\u2019s the trajectory he\u2019s set for himself.<\/p>\n
But what if the rules are markedly improved but Red Bull Racing remains off the pace?<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Max-to-Mercedes thing for now is not on,\u201d Mercedes boss Toto Wolff told Press Association. \u201cThe situation is completely transparent. We have clear contracts with both drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wolff has generously given himself wriggle room by saying no move is afoot \u201cfor now\u201d. It does not preclude such a move in the future.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a hell of a lot of water to go under the bridge before even the possibility of a move to Mercedes might be back on the cards.<\/p>\n
But three rounds ago we weren\u2019t contemplating Verstappen retiring from Formula 1.<\/p>\n
Maybe he decides his grand prix career isn\u2019t over yet. Maybe he takes a sabbatical and returns once the rules mess is sorted out.<\/p>\n
At only 28 years old and perhaps the greatest racing driver of his generation, every door is open to Verstappen. It\u2019s up to him to choose which one suits him best.<\/p>\n
Only he can decide the outcome to which his arc bends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Max Verstappen\u2019s future was always going to be part of the 2025 narrative, but no-one could have expected…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":581512,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[284872,12295,284888,14212,1724,64,63,689,284881,20211,248285,284873,2090,30772,242636,284876,118920,284866,1199,284883,284870,284884,18581,284874,284877,14210,9239,229832,2057,817,22497,813,816,20675,261503,3875,841,114499,31306,284871,242698,284875,941,21772,284867,825,13756,175473,250652,16255,677,2119,22297,234667,284890,284886,128125,284878,284885,11351,16205,284868,85,127055,284880,284889,73217,284879,13773,280989,284887,281170,2062,284869,284240,2086,284882],"class_list":{"0":"post-581511","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-formula-1","8":"tag-alternative-way","9":"tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","10":"tag-arc-bends","11":"tag-arvid-lindblad","12":"tag-asia","13":"tag-au","14":"tag-australia","15":"tag-australia-and-new-zealand","16":"tag-average-lap-time","17":"tag-back-to-back-wins","18":"tag-battery-charge","19":"tag-big-bucks-deal","20":"tag-british-broadcasting-corporation","21":"tag-bull-racing","22":"tag-car-development","23":"tag-car-lapping","24":"tag-championship-narrative","25":"tag-championship-windows","26":"tag-christian-horner","27":"tag-combustion-power-relative","28":"tag-comfortable-car","29":"tag-contract-rumour","30":"tag-crunch-meeting","31":"tag-defining-question","32":"tag-development-resources","33":"tag-driver-market","34":"tag-eastern-asia","35":"tag-electrical-power","36":"tag-europe","37":"tag-f1","38":"tag-fast-car","39":"tag-formula-1","40":"tag-formula1","41":"tag-four-time-world-champion","42":"tag-fundamental-elements","43":"tag-george-russell","44":"tag-grand-prix","45":"tag-grand-prix-career","46":"tag-grand-prix-winners","47":"tag-hardcore-analysis","48":"tag-hybrid-motor","49":"tag-intangible-significance","50":"tag-japan","51":"tag-lap-time","52":"tag-lap-time-reservoir","53":"tag-max-verstappen","54":"tag-mid-season-break","55":"tag-multiple-grand-prix","56":"tag-natural-way","57":"tag-netherlands","58":"tag-oceania","59":"tag-pit-talk","60":"tag-practice-session","61":"tag-press-association-ltd","62":"tag-psychic-damage","63":"tag-quit-threat","64":"tag-racing-driver","65":"tag-real-changing","66":"tag-retirement-discussions","67":"tag-retirement-talk","68":"tag-rule-changes","69":"tag-rules-mess","70":"tag-sports","71":"tag-starting-point","72":"tag-success-cycle","73":"tag-superstar-driver","74":"tag-suzuka","75":"tag-team-line-up","76":"tag-team-principal","77":"tag-the-max","78":"tag-uncompetitive-car","79":"tag-unlucky-safety-car","80":"tag-western-europe","81":"tag-wheel-to-wheel-racing","82":"tag-wildcard-spot","83":"tag-world-championship","84":"tag-worthy-champion"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581511\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/581512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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