Verstappen admits he could quit F1 but insists love of racing keeps him at Red Bull

Max Verstappen has offered a candid assessment of his Formula 1 future, admitting he could walk away from the sport without hesitation but insisting his love of racing means he has no immediate plans to do so — despite a difficult season with Red Bull.

Speaking on the eve of the Hungarian Grand Prix, the four-time world champion acknowledged the frustrations of a campaign in which the RB22 has fallen well short of expectations. The chassis has proved tricky to set up and drive, and while Red Bull-Ford Powertrains delivered a stronger-than-expected debut power unit, the team’s position at the top of F1’s ADUO upgrade system prevents them from improving the engine further. Red Bull heads into the summer break winless and fourth in the constructors’ standings.

“Of course I can easily stop, it’s not a problem, but I love racing,” Verstappen said. “I’m just trying to deal with what we have, even though what we have at the moment is not what I like.”

The 28-year-old drew a pointed contrast with 45-year-old Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso, who has said his enjoyment of the regulations will be a key factor in deciding his own future. Verstappen suggested age makes the calculation different for him, while also defending Alonso’s right to feel disillusioned.

“Of course, Fernando is 45, so it’s probably a bit easier for him to say: ‘I quit,’” Verstappen said. “But as a real racer, it’s tough, especially when you’re not enjoying the regulations and you’re not competitive at the moment. Fernando, of course, doesn’t deserve to be in P21.”

Two issues continue to cloud Verstappen’s long-term commitment to the sport: Red Bull’s on-track competitiveness and his well-documented discontent with F1’s 2026 power unit regulations. The regulations are set to be tweaked further for 2027, offering some hope that the series will move in a direction more to his liking. His current contract runs until 2028 and contains performance-related get-out clauses that the team’s winless run could activate.

Despite the mid-season speculation that has become a near-annual fixture around Verstappen’s future, little has changed in recent weeks. With few credible alternatives on the grid, the prevailing expectation remains that he will stay at Red Bull into next season. For now, Verstappen says his focus is firmly on extracting the best from a car that gave both him and new team-mate Isack Hadjar a difficult and unpredictable weekend in Budapest.