(Motorsport-Total.com) – After another disappointing qualifying session, Max Verstappen appeared in the media round in Suzuka on Saturday afternoon. Of course, it didn’t help to have been eliminated in Q2, but he found what he had experienced an hour earlier even more disappointing. A qualifying session that, in his view, was still not as it should be despite FIA intervention.
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Verstappen has already expressed his criticism several times this season – in Bahrain, Melbourne, and Shanghai – and therefore the prevailing opinion (also internally at Red Bull) is that from now on it would be more constructive to discuss possible improvements behind the scenes. “And I’ve already said everything about the regulations anyway,” Verstappen added in Japan.
However, his opinion has not changed. When Motorsport.com specifically asked him about the onboard footage from 130R, where drivers lost more than fifty kilometers per hour due to “super-clipping”, Verstappen replied: “Yes, and I think that says it all.”
Then he jokingly invited the author of this post to get into the RB22 himself, specifically in response to the question of whether it was still a challenge for the drivers.
“Well, I would love to put you in my car sometime! I think the laps I drove today were actually more of a challenge than last year, but that was purely down to keeping this car on the track. And I think that also says it all.”
“You have to do something in life that you enjoy”
In the same conversation, Verstappen reflected almost philosophically on his time in Formula 1. This began during the English-language media round when the four-time world champion said he had to make life decisions, after which he further elaborated on his thoughts in the Dutch media round.
“When I’m in the car, I always give everything. But the way everything is at the moment – not just our own car, but also everything I’ve already said about Formula 1 – I just don’t enjoy it. Probably other people don’t enjoy it either, but if you’re away from home for 22 races, then in the end you have to do something in your life that brings you joy.”
This last point concerns not only the pleasure Verstappen derives from Formula 1 (or currently doesn’t derive), but also, as his father Jos Verstappen suggested in De Telegraaf, his motivation.
“If you ask many athletes how to get the best out of your performance, it all starts with enjoying it,” the Red Bull driver admitted. “And if you don’t have fun, you can’t get the best out of yourself either.”
His answer to the follow-up question about how he keeps himself motivated was also telling: “With other things I try to keep it pleasant, but at some point that is also exhausted.”
This points to two things. First, that these GT excursions are currently necessary to keep things pleasant for Verstappen, and second, the last part of his quote suggests that he is seriously considering whether his long-term future still lies in the premier class of motorsport.
The two factors that are different this time
When we presented Verstappen’s remarks after the Japanese Grand Prix to Laurent Mekies, the team principal related this mainly to Red Bull’s performance – completely logical from his role.
“We are naturally focusing on the competitive picture, that’s what we do. We are not having any discussions about these aspects. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I’m sure as soon as we give him a fast car, he will be a much happier Max,” said Mekies.
“And as soon as we give him a car with which he can push and make the difference, he will also be a happier Max. So, honestly, that’s where 100 percent of our discussions are at the moment.”
Although that is probably true, two things are different from previous situations where Red Bull struggled with performance.
Suzuka: Driver ratings by Marc Surer and the editorial team
First, both drivers in Suzuka stated that there is currently no full understanding of the root cause. “No, not at the moment. What we are seeing this weekend makes no sense,” said Isack Hadjar.
Verstappen shared a similar impression: “Certain things are going wrong, things we wouldn’t have expected to cause problems, and that always makes it a bigger mystery. Just things where you think everything looks okay from the factory side, but then they don’t show the same numbers on the track.”
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The second – and more important factor – is that in all previous cases, Verstappen still enjoyed Formula 1 as a whole. When the political bomb exploded in Jeddah in 2024 and Verstappen vehemently defended Helmut Marko, and also when Red Bull struggled in the first half of 2025, the Dutchman still enjoyed driving a Formula 1 car.
And this fundamental aspect has changed – at least for the moment.
Body language: Is Verstappen really “beyond all frustration”?
In Japan, this was visible in his body language and also in the words Verstappen used. While he passionately warned in some Dutch media appointments in 2024 that things would go wrong at Red Bull, there was now a certain sense of resignation – both verbal and non-verbal.
He summarized it on Sunday with a smile. Verstappen joked that he actually felt like a modern Formula 1 engine, with good acceleration out of the corners before the clipping sets in. “Every day I wake up and convince myself anew, and I try. You start well in the morning, but then [it goes downhill, just like with the engine] …”
When someone remarked that he might need coffee, Verstappen replied smartly: “No, Red Bull!”
Underneath, however, lies a serious undertone. When asked if he was frustrated about the current situation, Verstappen stated that he had long since moved past that phase. “I’m not even disappointed anymore. I’m long past that. I’m beyond disappointment and I don’t even know what you call that.”
In both English and Dutch, Verstappen struggled for the right word 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 suggests that Verstappen is not bluffing and is not primarily using his current dissatisfaction as a political lever – something that is suggested here and there.
Of course, he is not happy with Red Bull’s current problems and is pushing for changes, but Verstappen continuously emphasizes 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 the new era of Formula 1 in 2023.
This means that Verstappen will seriously use these weeks and months to reflect on where his future lies and what role Formula 1 plays in it.
A departure in the middle of the year remains extremely unlikely. He knows better than anyone that the team in Milton Keynes revolves to a large extent around him – 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 made his Formula 1 debut possible, and he won’t suddenly forget that in the middle of a Formula 1 season.
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But for next year, the situation appears far more open, not to mention the time 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 “major changes” can be made before next year.
To what extent this succeeds or not could prove decisive for Verstappen’s future considerations. He has already accepted that little can be done for the rest of this season, but the direction chosen for 2027 will likely play an important role in his decision-making process.
If this leads to a product he can live with a bit better, and if the fun returns with it, then perhaps there is no reason to leave – especially if he continues to retain the freedom from Red Bull to pursue his endurance racing ambitions alongside his Formula 1 commitments.
However, if this fun does not return, then a longer stay for Verstappen is certainly no guarantee – far from it. Above all, his dissatisfaction this time is truly different from what we have seen so far since his Formula 1 debut in 2015.
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