Verstappen to quit F1 as he asks: “Is it worth it?”

"Yes, I need to look at what exactly I want," Verstappen said after the race. "It’s about the future, that’s what matters. Not my private life. I’m going to use the coming weeks and months for that. Life goes on, you know. There isn’t only Formula 1 in life. There are other things you can do.

He later doubled down on his feelings about calling time on his career as he juggles his business interests, young family and other racing commitments. He added: “That's what I'm saying. I'm thinking about everything inside this paddock. Privately I'm very happy. You also wait for 24 races. This time it's 22. But normally 24. And then you just think about is it worth it? Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family? Seeing my friends more when you're not enjoying your sport?"

Anyone who listens to Verstappen’s interviews after the Japanese Grand Prix hears someone who is completely fed up with Formula 1. Of course, the results don’t help, but everything about these new F1 cars goes against Verstappen. Week after week, he threatens to leave.

Laurent Mekies thinks it’s not that bad. After the Japanese Grand Prix he told the written press that Verstappen would surely be much happier if the car were a lot faster. The Red Bull Racing team boss thinks that if his team is back fighting for wins and titles, Verstappen will also be less likely to walk away from the sport.

Yet, there are growing doubts about that. Verstappen repeatedly emphasizes that it has nothing to do with how competitive his car is. He has been highlighting the problem with these regulations since 2023, well before he knew Red Bull wouldn’t be as competitive as, say, Mercedes, Ferrari or McLaren.

Of course, it doesn’t help. If Verstappen were winning every race, he’d surely be a lot happier. Mind you: Verstappen wasn’t a fan of the previous set of regulations either. However, with those, he won most of the races and three of his four world titles, so the negative talk about the rules died down more quickly.

If Verstappen doesn’t make it into Q3 and is nowhere near a podium or even the top five, the conversation shifts much faster to the cars. And the Dutchman will never brush off that conversation with a politically correct approach. He will always give his honest opinion, and by now his view of the current F1 cars is clear.

The problem is that Formula 1 is tied to the current regulations, especially the engines. Serious solutions will be considered for 2027, but is that enough to keep him in the sport? The electric component of the power unit won’t disappear; it may only become less prominent to avoid the recharging issue on a qualifying lap.

Even so, 2027 still looks like sticking on band-aids. 'We are stuck with it,' Oscar Piastri aptly said about the current power units. And F1 is stuck until at least 2028. Only after that can a serious change be made, and even then it’s the question whether F1 and the FIA will do it. So far, they’ve done everything for years to please the manufacturers, and those simply want the electric component.

With that in mind, the question is how long you can keep Verstappen interested in the sport. No one knows what’s really going on in his head, but if there’s one thing Verstappen is, it’s honest. He never beats around the bush and always says what he thinks. If he says he’s done with it, he’s the first driver you actually believe really is done with it.

There’s nothing left for Verstappen to achieve in F1 either. He doesn’t need the record of Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher. Above all, he wants to have fun. He’s no longer having that in F1, and a more competitive car may not help with that either. Right now, Verstappen simply gets more enjoyment from GT racing than from F1. Painful as that realization may be…