How worried should F1 be about Verstappen walking away?
It is worth pointing out that it’s far from the first time Verstappen has signalled his intention not to stick around forever. After taking his first world
“I’m not a fan of it at all,” he said at the start of last season when asked for his opinion on the sprint format. “I think when we’re going to do all that kind of stuff, the weekend becomes even more intense and we’re already doing so many races.
“We’re heading into seasons where you have at one point 24, 25 races and if we then start adding even more stuff, it’s not worth it for me anyway. I’m not enjoying that.”
He also voiced concerns about the state of the 2026 regulations, with the driving characteristics of the new machinery another factor in his decision-making to see out his Red Bull contract until 2028.
In doing so, Verstappen may come across as spoiled, throwing a tantrum when he doesn’t get his way or gets slapped on the wrists, but reality is a bit different than that.
Other drivers may have dealt better with the rising demands of the series, but it is worth pointing out that Verstappen is a true racer, from a family of racers. His successes have turned him into a global superstar, but reluctantly so.
Verstappen turns up just to race and win and is dealing with all the additional bullsh*t – if you will – until he has had enough. And in his mind, the FIA’s censorship and handholding, such as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz being fined for crossing a live track after his qualifying crash, are the latest elements that are starting to tip that scale as he reaches the end of his 10th season in the series.
There is the matter of Verstappen’s long-running Red Bull deal until 2028, but even aside from any break clauses that could see him move to a rival team, F1 is too all-consuming for Red Bull to be holding a driver to his contract when he doesn’t want to
be there anymore.
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