Max Verstappen could retire from Formula 1 at 28. So blunt and so shocking. The Dutch driver, a four-time world champion, is seriously considering leaving Formula 1 at the end of this season. And this isn’t coming from just any source, but has been confirmed by his own father, Jos Verstappen.
Verstappen’s father claims his son no longer enjoys Formula 1, and that he does not see this new regulation as a challenge for him. In the Dutch press, sympathetic to Verstappen, it is stated that the Red Bull driver will use this break to assess his options and decide whether to retire from Formula 1.
Verstappen will use the break to ponder retirement
The Formula 1 championship now heads into forced holidays due to the Middle East conflict, and when it returns in May it could be very different from how it stands today. And the fact is Max Verstappen is thinking about retiring from Formula 1. He has hinted at it on more than one occasion, and now both his father and the press near him confirm it.
According to Erik van Haren, a Telegraaf journalist well acquainted with Verstappen, the four-time champion will take advantage of this pause to study a possible retirement from the sport. He even attributes to Verstappen a statement in which Verstappen says “if you’re away from home 22 races it has to be for something you enjoy”.
But this isn’t just tabloid talk; Jos Verstappen himself has confirmed that “Max isn’t enjoying it. These cars aren’t a challenge for him and he’s losing motivation. He no longer thinks Formula 1 is the best.” Surrounding signs point to Verstappen’s threat potentially being very serious.
Notably, the Dutch Grand Prix disappears this year. 2026 will be Formula 1’s last visit to Zandvoort. Furthermore, Toto Wolff, who spent months publicly pursuing Verstappen, now posts that there’s no room for him at Mercedes despite both of his drivers being under contract. Something is brewing in Formula 1.
The driver himself has acknowledged that “in the coming weeks or months I’ll try to figure out a few things,” and all this while his forays at Nürburgring become more frequent. In a month he will participate in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. “I’m not even frustrated anymore, I simply have no words,” he says about the current regulations.
With Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso biologically on the verge of retirement, it would be a blow, well deserved, for Formula 1 to lose Max Verstappen.
Images | Red Bull
