Despondent Verstappen questions Formula One future

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen suggested he could quit Formula One at the end of the season after enduring another frustrating race on Sunday in Japan.

The Red Bull driver finished eighth in Suzuka, ending his four-year reign as Japanese Grand Prix champion in ruthless fashion.

He told the BBC that he was “not enjoying the whole formula behind” this season’s championship, which has brought in sweeping new regulations.

“You just think about, is it worth it?” he said.

“Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family? Seeing my friends more when you’re not enjoying your sport?”

Verstappen has repeatedly railed against the new regulations, that see a 50-50 split between conventional and electrical power.

He labelled his car “undriveable” after qualifying in a lowly 11th for the Japan race.

When asked if he could walk away from the sport, he replied that he was “thinking about everything inside this paddock”.

“It’s really anti-driving. Then at one point, yeah, it’s just not what I want to do,” he said.

“And of course you can look at it and make a lot of money. Great.

“But at the end of the day it’s not about money any more because this has always been my passion.”

Verstappen sought a change of scenery by competing in a four-hour race in Germany before the Japanese Grand Prix.

He will not compete again in F1 until the Miami Grand Prix on May 3, after the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races scheduled for April were cancelled because of the war in the Middle East.

When asked how he would fill his time during the break, Verstappen answered: “I’ll do some more racing, some stuff that makes me smile.

“And at the same time speak to the team as well, to try and find more pace and some more stable balance because this is not sustainable for us as a team,” he added.

Verstappen is in ninth place in the championship standings, 60 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes after three races.

He finished sixth in the season opener in Australia and retired from the grand prix in China because of a cooling issue.

“I want to be here to have fun and have a great time and enjoy myself. At the moment that’s not really the case,” he said.

“I’m trying. I keep telling myself every day to try and enjoy it. It’s just very hard.”