Retirement? Verstappen's stinging criticism shows he cares about F1

Formula 1 drivers rarely come as frank and forthright as Max Verstappen. In an overly PR-polished environment, the four-time world champion's honesty is a refreshing blessing, although not everyone sees it that way.

Verstappen's early criticism on the Las Vegas Grand Prix's street circuit and all the hoopla around F1's new crown jewel didn't go down well with the championship chiefs at the time, and neither did his fierce criticism in public on the 2026 regulations during Bahrain winter testing.

Verstappen is, of course, not alone in his opposition to what he labelled "anti-racing", F1's bending of the knee to car manufacturers which has led to Frankenstein cars built around aggressive energy harvesting needs. Melbourne polling showed there were pretty much two drivers on the current grid who said they enjoyed the new regulations in their entirety. No prizes for guessing which car they are driving, but coincidentally they were doing rather well Down Under.

But when Verstappen is involved, any complaint from the Dutchman over the current state of F1, coupled with his dalliances with GT racing, inevitably leads to chatter over an early exit from the series. It is Verstappen himself who has fuelled a lot of that talk as he repeatedly said his future in F1 would be linked to his level of enjoyment. He's only in it for both the driving challenge and for the intense teamwork and camaraderie at Red Bull. The less he feels like the centre of a tiresome circus act or political charade, the better. Pounding laps of the Nordschleife in solitude is the perfect antidote to some of the less desirable aspects of being a part of Liberty Media's - hitherto successful - vision for F1.

Verstappen is clearly an old soul in a young body, and perhaps would have enjoyed his stay at the top echelon more in his father's day. But while it seems a foregone conclusion that Verstappen won't do a Hamilton or Alonso and race in F1 until his 40s, his stinging criticism of the 2026 rules shouldn't be taken as a petulant, self-serving act to get what he wants.

For a driver who lives and breathes racing, so much as to undertake extracurricular activities in addition to a 24-race season, F1 should be the pinnacle - the fastest and most fearsome cars on the planet. That essence is under threat in 2026, and what is frustrating to Verstappen is that he was one of the first big players to ring the alarm bells over how compromised these rules would be.

Verstappen was one of the first drivers to raise concerns over the new F1 cars and rules back in 2023

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

"To me, it looks pretty terrible. If you go flat-out on the straight at Monza, like four or five hundred before the end of the straight you have to downshift because that's faster. I think that's not the way forward. Of course, that's probably one of the worst tracks. But the problem is it looks like it's going to be an ICE competition, like whoever has the strongest engine will have a big benefit. But I don't think that should be the intention of Formula 1."

Verstappen said this at the Austrian Grand Prix... in 2023.

Red Bull chief Christian Horner's similar warning at that time was dismissed as an admission of weakness over its nascent power unit programme at the height of the rivalry between Horner and his Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff. That suggestion may well have been partly correct, but it was also based in fact.

"They knew this was coming as well, but some people still had the feeling that it would turn out fine, that it would work better in practice" Max Verstappen

Fast forward three years and clearly the FIA has made some steps, such as an overall reduction in weight and size which has made the chassis itself more pleasant and "racey". But that doesn't account for much when cars are cruising through some of the fastest corners just to be able to deploy more power on the following straight, punishing drivers for trying to make a difference with their actual driving.

Speaking ahead of this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, there was an element of "I told you so" in Verstappen's latest comments, as he was puzzled why he and other sensible voices weren't listened to more.

There is a desire within F1 not to overreact after a sample of one, with Australia's Albert Park one of the more extreme circuits on the calendar for energy harvesting, and there is a willingness to discuss tweaks after this weekend's China round. But the severity of Melbourne's issues, especially the near-miss at the start which exposed some flaws with the current regulations on energy usage, appears to have opened a few eyes.

Verstappen admits he is weighing up his future having lost a bit of love for F1 with the new era

Photo by: Dom Gibbons / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Referring to the FIA and FOM in his Dutch language media session in Shanghai, Verstappen said: "They understand what I’m talking about. They can see it as well. They knew this was coming as well, but some people still had the feeling that it would turn out fine, that it would work better in practice. But this was already very clear for a long time. I said in 2023 already that this would happen.

"This season it will be quite difficult. If that maybe has to be done with a bit less battery power, then so be it. But those are all things they’re looking at. Hopefully for next season maybe we can still change a few things. But those would probably be bigger changes."

At Bahrain testing, Domenicali said he had zero doubts that Verstappen's future in F1 is under threat because of 2026 teething issues. "I guarantee to you that Max loves and cares about Formula 1 more than anyone else, " he told reporters. "He has a way of [making] his point in a certain way, but we had a very constructive meeting. And we'll have a very constructive meeting also with the federation and the teams to highlight what his points of view are [and] what he believes needs to be done to keep the driving style at the centre without changing the approach."

Those talks will now happen after China, and if April's Bahrain and Saudi Arabia rounds are cancelled as is widely expected, then the silver lining would be a bigger window for the series to make sensible tweaks. Verstappen confirmed in China that his rallying cry is not a sign he is about to throw in the towel. It's borne from a desire to see F1 be the driving pinnacle that it can and should be.

"It's a bit conflicting because I don't really enjoy the car, but I do enjoy working with all the people in the team and from the engine department as well," he concluded. "So, no, I don't want to leave. But I also hope it gets better. I think we are working towards something and hopefully that will improve everything."

Perhaps it took the series' stakeholders a controversial start that overshadowed what should have been an exciting new chapter in F1's history to get the message. When a four-time world champion barks warnings, you should probably listen to him rather than reach for a muzzle.

Will F1 listen to Verstappen and make changes?

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images