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Max Verstappen is now genuinely contemplating whether to retire from Formula 1 at the end of the 2026 season, according to Dutch journalist Erik van Haren.
Verstappen finished eighth in another miserable race at the Japanese Grand Prix, deepening his well-known displeasure with the 2026 Formula 1 rules.
The four-time world champion has been the leading critic of the sport’s direction since winter testing and there is now a growing prospect he will walk away, likely to pursue other racing interests.
Verstappen was racing at the Nurburgring last weekend and his eponymous GT3 team could theoretically offer him a route out of F1.
‘Crucial period’ ahead as Max Verstappen weighs up F1 retirement
De Telegraaf’s Van Haren, who broke the news of Christian Horner’s sacking last year and is extremely well-connected at Red Bull, revealed on Sunday morning that Verstappen is ‘seriously considering an F1 retirement’ at the end of the year.
A ‘crucial period’ awaits for the driver himself, his Red Bull team and F1 as a whole. The sport runs the risk of losing arguably its best driver, which would be an enormous blow to its image at the start of a new era.
The clearest indication yet that Max Verstappen could quit F1
Erik van Haren of De Telegraaf broke the story
Naturally, Laurent Mekies and the Red Bull hierarchy will also be desperate to convince him to stay. Perhaps the best way to do that will be to push for changes to the regulations, within the scope of the current formula.
Verstappen choosing to retire at the age of 29 (he will celebrate that birthday in September) would undoubtedly be one of the biggest bombshells in the sport’s history, even if it wouldn’t automatically mean his F1 career was over.
How much money would Max Verstappen give up if he quit F1?
Because Verstappen’s Red Bull contract runs for another two years (2027 and 2028), he would be giving up an enormous salary if he voluntarily left the team.
Verstappen is believed to be earning £38m per year at Red Bull, so it stands to reason that he would forego £76m in earnings. The money on offer in alternative series is comparatively tiny, though he could still tap into his personal sponsorship deals.
David Coulthard has previously suggested that Verstappen could take a sabbatical from F1, ultimately returning to the sport just as Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen have done in the past.
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