Verstappen repeats quit threat: ‘F1 mentally not doable'

  Just days after sounding optimistic over his chances of remaining in Formula 1 in 2027, Max Verstappen has once again threatened to leave the grid at the end of the season if the sport’s new-era regulations aren’t revised.

And make no mistake – the Dutchman’s comments sounded less like a frustrated driver venting after a difficult qualifying session and more like a four-time world champion drawing a line in the sand.

In Montreal, amid another messy weekend for Red Bull, Verstappen’s tone sounded colder, sharper and more definitive. Behind the carefully measured phrasing was an unmistakable warning: if F1 insists on going down a path he believes will ruin the racing experience, he will simply walk away.

‘It’s just mentally not doable’

Formula 1’s upcoming regulation overhaul has become one of the hottest political battlegrounds in the paddock. The FIA recently agreed in principle to adjustments that would rebalance the relationship between electrical deployment and combustion power, shifting toward a 60:40 split aided by increased fuel flow.

Verstappen is firmly in favor of those changes. The reason is simple: many drivers and engineers fear the original concept risks creating artificial racing scenarios dominated by energy harvesting limitations and awkward straight-line performance compromises.

But if those modifications fail to materialize? Verstappen’s patience appears dangerously close to running out.

"Well, if it stays like this, it's going to be a long year next year,” he said. “Which I don't want.”

That alone raised eyebrows. What came next sent shockwaves through the paddock.

“Well, I can tell you, if it stays like this... Then let's see. It's just mentally not doable for me to stay like this. Absolutely not.”

For a driver who has already conquered nearly everything Formula 1 can offer, the comment landed like a threat hanging over the sport itself.

Verstappen has repeatedly hinted in recent years that endless political drama, sprint weekends, commercial overload and increasingly complicated regulations have chipped away at his enjoyment of F1. Now, the technical rules may become the final straw.

And when asked whether resistance from certain parties was slowing progress on the proposed changes, Verstappen barely disguised his frustration.

“It's F1 for you, it's simply like that. It's a bit of a shame,” he said.

No sabbatical, no return plan

What makes Verstappen’s comments especially significant is that he did not frame a potential exit as a temporary break.

Asked whether he could take a sabbatical and return once improved regulations arrive, his response was brutally short: “No."

Then came the line that will terrify Formula 1 executives.

“Yep. There's a lot of fun things out there.”

That statement alone underlines just how different Verstappen is from many modern F1 stars. He has long insisted that endurance racing, GT competition, sim racing and life beyond the Formula 1 circus genuinely appeal to him.

Unlike drivers who seem emotionally tied to the grid forever, Verstappen has always spoken as though walking away early would not scare him in the slightest.

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Yet despite the ominous tone, he has not completely abandoned hope that common sense will prevail before 2026 arrives.

"Stay on the positive side,” he said. “We're still, I think, looking towards making those changes, and of course, some people that, at the moment, maybe have a bit of an advantage will try to be difficult about it.

“But if the FIA is strong, and also from the FOM side, they just need to do it.”

Frustration boiling over on track

The timing of Verstappen’s remarks was amplified by another deeply frustrating day inside the Red Bull garage.

After battling ride problems throughout the weekend, Red Bull attempted to cure the car’s instability over bumps and kerbs – but the compromise came at a painful cost.

“You just go in circles, like you improve the bumps, the kerbs, but then you lose downforce on the car, so that's been a bit the issue in qualifying.”

Verstappen could manage only sixth on the grid, appearing baffled by the RB’s inconsistent behavior in a straight line.

“Plus very confusing straightline speed, where it just seemed like it was not working for me, and then suddenly on the final lap, I have no idea why, where that lap came from, so it's a bit confusing,” he said.

For Formula 1, that confusion now extends far beyond a single qualifying session. Because the deeper issue is no longer just whether the 2027 regulations will produce good racing.

It’s whether the sport can convince its biggest superstar that the future is still worth sticking around for.

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