Max Verstappen has repeatedly threatened to walk away from Formula One (Image: Getty)
The reverberations from Max Verstappen‘s hint that he might retire from Formula One continue to echo throughout the paddock. The four-time world champion has endured a difficult beginning to the 2026 campaign, accumulating just 12 points from the initial three races. He’s dropped multiple suggestions about leaving the sport amidst a fresh era of technical regulations that many observers believe have undermined F1’s attraction.
Following an eighth-place finish at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, Verstappen acknowledged he was weighing up his future, declaring he was “not enjoying” himself. When asked if he intended to leave F1 at the end of the season, the Dutchman replied: “That’s what I’m saying. I’m thinking about everything inside the paddock. Now I think I’m committing 100 per cent and I’m still trying, but the way that I am telling myself to give it 100 per cent, I think, is not very healthy at the moment because I am not enjoying what I’m doing.”
Here’s a look at the latest developments, including Red Bull‘s potential Verstappen succession strategy…
Verstappen ‘replacement’ named
Should Verstappen opt to retire from racing, Red Bull will confront the formidable challenge of securing a new leader for their team.
According to former F1 driver-turned pundit Johnny Herbert, that individual could be Kimi Antonelli.
“There’s always the next one, and who is the next one at the present time? Kimi,” Herbert told RacingNews365.
“He’s the next generation that’s going to be coming along. Will he be better than Max? Potentially.
“Everything for me was always Ayrton [Senna]. And then Lewis [Hamilton] came along and did what Michael Schumacher [did]… there’s that bigger jump in performance.
“And then Max has come along and it’s another jump. So they always get better and that never stops.
“Kimi, potentially, is the next one who’s going to do exactly the same thing. So there’s your replacement. There’s your ‘wow’ driver that comes into it.”
Laurent Mekies has opened up on Red Bull’s poor start to the season (Image: Getty)
Red Bull chief speaks out
Team principal Laurent Mekies has offered a frank assessment of why Red Bull have endured such a challenging start to the 2026 season.
He suggested that a last-minute decision over the development direction of the new car severely disrupted their winter preparations and has left them scrambling to keep pace with their competitors.
“We thought, and we still think, it was the right thing to do because turning the page to 2026 would have been a bit of an easy escape, a kind of wishful thinking that next year would be better, even though we didn’t fully understand the limitations of the 2025 car, we didn’t think that was the right approach,” explained Mekies.
“Now, of course, the time and energy we invested in that late push last year, does it have an impact on where you start in 2026? Of course it does. So yes, we are paying a bit of the price today. Do we use it as an excuse? No.”
Mekies nevertheless expressed confidence that Red Bull are well-placed to navigate their troubled start, citing the team’s proven ability to bounce back from adversity.
“We’re not happy with the starting point, but we believe we’ll get through these difficulties,” he said.
“As we did last year, we’ll gain a full understanding of the limitations. This team has been very, very good at turning things around and we have another opportunity to do that this year.”
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