After another disappointing Formula 1 qualifying session, Max Verstappen appeared in the Suzuka media pen on Saturday afternoon. Of course, being knocked out in Q2 did not help, but he found what he had experienced an hour earlier even more disappointing. A qualifying session that, despite an FIA intervention that made things slightly better, was in his view still not as it should be.
Verstappen has already voiced his criticism several times this season – in Bahrain, Melbourne and Shanghai – and therefore the idea (also internally at Red Bull) is that from now on, it would be more constructive to discuss possible improvements behind the scenes.
“I’ve already said everything about the regulations anyway,” Verstappen added in Japan.
However, his opinion has not changed. When Autosport specifically asked about the onboard footage from 130R, where drivers lost more than 30mph due to super clipping, Verstappen responded: “Yes, and that says it all, I think.”
He then jokingly invited the author of this piece to get into the RB22 himself, more specifically after being asked whether it is still a challenge for drivers: “Well, I’d happily put you in my car for once! I think the laps I drove today were actually more of a challenge than last year, but that was purely to keep this car on the road. And I think that says everything as well.”
“You have to do something in life that you enjoy”
In that same conversation, Verstappen reflected almost philosophically on his time in F1. That began during the English media session when the four-time world champion said that he has life decisions to make, after which he elaborated more on his considerations during the Dutch media round.
“When I’m in the car, I always give everything. But with how everything is at the moment – not only our own car, but also everything I’ve already said about Formula 1 – it’s just not enjoyable for me. It’s probably not enjoyable for other people either, but if you are away from home for 22 races, then in the end you have to do something in your life that you enjoy.”
Max Verstappen is not enjoying his time in the RB22
Photo by: Lars Baron / LAT Images via Getty Images
That last point not only touches on the enjoyment Verstappen does (or currently does not) get out of F1, but as his father Jos Verstappen indicated in De Telegraaf, also his motivation. “If you ask a lot of athletes how to get the most out of your performance, it all starts with enjoying it,” the Red Bull driver acknowledged. “And if you don’t enjoy it, you can’t get the best out of it.”
His answer to the follow-up question of how he keeps himself motivated was also telling: “With other things I try to keep it enjoyable, but at some point that also runs out.”
It indicates two things. First, that those GT outings are currently necessary to keep things enjoyable for Verstappen, and second, the last part of his quote suggests that he is genuinely thinking about whether his longer-term future still lies in the pinnacle of motorsport.
The two factors that are different this time
When presented Verstappen’s remarks to Laurent Mekies after the Japanese Grand Prix, the team principal mainly related it to Red Bull’s performance – entirely logical from his role.
“We certainly focus on the competitive picture, that’s what we do. We are having zero discussions about those aspects. We have a lot of work to do, but I’m sure by the time we give him a fast car, he will be a much happier Max. And by the time we give him a car he can push and make the difference with, he will also be a happier Max. So, honestly, that’s 100% of our discussions right now.”
Although that is probably true, two things are different compared to previous situations in which Red Bull struggled with performance.
First of all, both drivers indicated in Suzuka that there is currently not yet a full understanding of the root cause.
Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar both reported shortcomings with the 2026 Red Bull car
Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images
“No, not right now. What we are seeing this weekend makes no sense,” said Isack Hadjar. Verstappen shared a similar impression: “Certain things are going wrong, things we didn’t expect to cause any issues, and that always makes it a bigger mystery. Just things where you think everything looks okay from the factory side, but then on track they don’t show the same numbers.”
The second – and more important factor – is that in all previous cases Verstappen still enjoyed F1 as a whole. When the political bomb exploded in Jeddah in 2024 and Verstappen strongly defended Helmut Marko, and also when Red Bull was struggling during the first half of 2025, the Dutchman still enjoyed driving an F1 car. And that fundamental aspect has changed – at least for now.
Body language: is Verstappen really ‘beyond all frustration’?
In Japan, that was visible in his body language and also in the words Verstappen used. Whereas during some Dutch media sessions in 2024 he passionately warned that things would go wrong at Red Bull, there was now a certain sense of resignation – both verbally and non-verbally.
He summed it up on Sunday with a smile. Verstappen joked that he actually feels like a modern F1 engine, with good acceleration coming out of the corners before the clipping kicks in. “Every day I wake up and I convince myself again, and I try. You start well in the morning, but then [it goes down, just like the engine]…”
When someone remarked that he might need coffee, Verstappen responded wittily: “No, Red Bull!”
However, there is a serious undertone beneath it. When asked whether he is frustrated with the current situation, Verstappen indicated that he has long since passed that phase. “I’m not even disappointed anymore. I’m long past that. I’m beyond disappointed and I don’t even know what you call that.”
Max Verstappen isn’t angry, he’s just dissappointed
Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
In both English and Dutch, Verstappen struggled to find the right words to describe his current feeling. When a colleague suggested the word “resignation”, the 71-time grand prix winner agreed. “Yes, maybe that’s the right word, but that’s obviously not good.”
It indicates that Verstappen is not bluffing and is not mainly using his current dissatisfaction as a political pressure tool – something that has been suggested. Of course, he is not happy with Red Bull’s current problems and pushing for changes, but Verstappen continuously emphasises that he would voice the same complaints about the regulations even if he were winning – and that was exactly the situation when he first warned about F1’s new era back in 2023.
It means that Verstappen will genuinely use these weeks and months to think about where his future lies and what role F1 plays in it.
A departure halfway through the year remains extremely unlikely. He knows better than anyone that the Milton Keynes-based team revolves around him to a large extent — not only from a sporting perspective, but also commercially with numerous sponsorship deals. Verstappen has often said that he is “loyal” to the brand that gave him his F1 debut, and he will not suddenly forget that midway through an F1 season.
But for next year, the situation appears far more open – let alone for the period after his current contract expires. Verstappen said in China that he is currently in talks with the FIA about possible improvements and has repeatedly expressed hope that “bigger changes” can be made ahead of next year. The extent to which that succeeds or not may prove crucial for Verstappen’s future considerations. He has already accepted that little can be done for the remainder of this season, but the direction chosen for 2027 will likely play an important role in his decision-making process.
If that results in a product that he can live with a bit more and if the enjoyment returns with that, then there may be no reason to leave – especially if he retains the freedom from Red Bull to pursue his endurance ambitions alongside his F1 commitments. But if that enjoyment does not return, then a longer stay for Verstappen is certainly no guarantee. Above all, his dissatisfaction is genuinely different this time from what we have seen before since his F1 debut in 2015.
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– The Autosport.com Team
