The signs that Max Verstappen is closer than ever to quitting F1
'Max Verstappen was not made to finish eighth'
Haven’t you heard? Max Verstappen is no fan of the F1 2026 rules. So much so that he is openly considering his future on the grid.
Look closely, though, and the signs are there that F1 has already lost him…
A Max Verstappen F1 sabbatical already seems inevitable
A version of this article originally appeared in PlanetF1.com’s conclusions from the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix
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There was a time, and not too long ago, when Fernando Alonso felt that his talents were best served away from Formula 1. Kimi Raikkonen too.
And what happened?
Both came running back in the end. They always do.
It might seem enticing in your dreams at night, zapping down the Mulsanne Straight as the sun sets at Le Mans, tipping the car into Turn 1 at the Brickyard or Daytona, or barreling down an ice-cold Col de Turini in a rally car.
And no doubt it does get the heart pumping when you first get there.
But then the novelty wears off and soon you realise that actually, no, nothing compares to F1 after all.
The hard truth?
This is the only form of motorsport that matters.
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Sometimes it requires a driver to step away from Formula 1 for a while – even this version of Formula 1, unlovable as it is – for it to hit home just how much he needs it and to appreciate the way this sport is central to his very existence.
Even now, as he is rattled numb by the vibrations of his Aston Martin-Honda, there is likely nowhere else Fernando would rather be.
This is in his bones. It is part of him.
Max Verstappen hasn’t got to that point yet, realising that the essence of F1 itself is alive and flowing inside his being.
But, made of exactly the same stuff as Alonso, soon enough he will.
He just might need to step out of it first.
As noted in PlanetF1.com’s conclusions from the Chinese Grand Prix, the prospect of Max taking a sabbatical from F1 has never felt more real than over the last few weeks.
It’s not just his disillusionment with the direction in which F1 is heading with the 2026 rules, but the hopelessness of his competitive situation – and the sudden shortage of serious options away from Red Bull – too.
This perfect storm means Formula 1 is in the process of losing Max Verstappen.
Or perhaps it already has lost him.
Compare and contrast the Max who turned up in his happy place at the Nurburgring last month, all smiles and charm personified, to the altogether darker character we witnessed a week later at Suzuka.
The reporter ejected from his Thursday media briefing was effectively collateral damage in Verstappen’s rampage against 2026-spec F1 and all that comes with it.
It is far easier for a driver to carry out an act of that nature – and later defend it – when he no longer cares about the consequences of his actions, far less how those actions are perceived.
Or, put another way, has Max finally reached the stage of contempt for Formula 1 where he has no more effs left to give?
It’s beginning to look that way.
See also the footage of him waving – waving! – at Pierre Gasly as the Alpine flew past him on the main straight during the race.
He might as well have turned his hand and directed the gesture towards the onboard camera on his Red Bull.
Verstappen himself has hinted that his light is starting to dim, admitting after qualifying at Suzuka that he has moved “beyond” frustration with what “life here” has become.
When even Max no longer has the energy to get worked up about things, having raged heroically against the 2026 rules from the start, the writing is on the wall.
If F1 is already a poorer place this year without Verstappen at the front, imagine how mundane it will be when he is no longer on the grid, potentially as soon as 2027.
But Max Verstappen was not made to finish eighth.
For the first time in years you would not have known that Max, this hurricane of a racing driver, was even in the Japanese Grand Prix.
And when a driver of such talent and gravitas is reduced to making up the numbers, like Alonso in 2018, maybe the time really has come to step away if only for a little while.
To repeat the point from Shanghai: enjoy watching him while he’s still here.
At this rate, it won’t be for much longer.
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