The four-time Formula 1 world champion from the Netherlands is inevitably one of the central figures heading into the new season. Last year, despite winning three of the final races, Max Verstappen narrowly lost the championship to Lando Norris by just two points. Now, Formula 1 enters a new era with sweeping technical regulations—and judging by Verstappen's comments, he's far from thrilled.
"Honestly, driving these cars isn't particularly enjoyable at the moment. I'd describe it as 'managed driving.' It's never easy to say things like this, but as a racing driver I have to be realistic. It doesn't really feel like driving a Formula 1 car anymore. It's more like a Formula E car on steroids."
That said, after voicing his concerns, Verstappen immediately got to work, spending plenty of time experimenting with the new machinery. While he insists Red Bull are unlikely to fight for victories at the beginning of the season, few doubt that he'll continue pushing to the absolute limit.
His remarks did not go unnoticed by his rivals. Unsurprisingly, reigning champion Lando Norris fired back first.
"Personally, I really enjoy it. It's fun. If Max wants to retire, then he can retire. Formula 1 is always changing—sometimes it's better to drive, sometimes it's worse. But we're paid ridiculous amounts of money to race, so I don't think there's much to complain about."
Mercedes driver George Russell joined in as well.
"When you're someone who's won a lot recently, of course you want the fastest car and something that's enjoyable to drive. Otherwise, he can always go race on the Nordschleife."
To understand Russell's jab, it's worth stepping away from Formula 1 for a moment. Verstappen has become increasingly passionate about GT racing. Last year, he appeared at the Nürburgring under the pseudonym Franz Hermann before eventually winning a race there. This season, he's expected to return behind the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG GT3.
That choice has puzzled technical experts. The AMG GT3 is, by modern GT standards, an aging platform—a 2020 evolution of a car whose roots stretch all the way back to the 2011 Mercedes SLS GT3. While rivals have introduced multiple generations of new machinery—BMW with the M4 GT3 Evo and Ferrari with the 296 GT3—Mercedes continues to rely on a decade-old concept.
Back in 2022, Max and his father Jos launched Verstappen.com Racing. Jos has since become the 2025 Belgian Rally Champion, while Thierry Vermeulen—the son of Max's manager Raymond Vermeulen—competes in GT World Challenge Europe under the team's banner. On top of that, Verstappen spends countless hours sim racing, almost exclusively in GT cars. Some insiders believe his choice of Mercedes isn't accidental: according to rumors, an all-new AMG GT3 is in development, and Verstappen wants to be among the first to race it.
His participation in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) has long been considered an open secret. Organizers even rescheduled one of the races to avoid clashing with a Formula 1 weekend, and Verstappen himself confirmed his intentions.
"I want to do that race. It's great that the organizers adjusted the schedule because if I eventually compete in the 24 Hours, I'll need at least one race beforehand to prepare. The other drivers have much more experience in GT racing. I also need to learn the Nordschleife in the new Mercedes-AMG GT3 and get used to all the procedures. Even I need to prepare—pit stops, driver changes—those are things I never normally do. I just want to be fully prepared for a possible start in the 24-hour race. At least there you can drive flat out instead of constantly managing the battery."
So what does all this mean? Could Verstappen leave Formula 1 altogether if Red Bull fail to produce a competitive car under the new regulations? It's not without precedent. Two-time World Rally champion Kalle Rovanperä recently switched disciplines to compete in Japan's Super Formula Championship.
Verstappen's commitment to GT racing is obvious, even from his social media exchanges with GT and DTM star Maro Engel. And Max himself admits these cars provide something Formula 1 currently does not.
"I really enjoyed it. Everything felt different from Formula 1. I got in the car and immediately felt comfortable. I'd driven these cars on the simulator before, but experiencing the real thing and seeing how closely it matches the simulator was fantastic. I genuinely enjoyed the race."
Some observers have gone even further. Verstappen chose Mercedes machinery for his GT program. It's well known that he enjoys an excellent relationship with Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff. Could this already be laying the groundwork for a future move? Former Formula 1 driver Vitaly Petrov recently suggested that Mercedes—or perhaps Ferrari—could become Verstappen's next destination. Meanwhile, ahead of the new season, the Dutchman offered some philosophical reflections that only fueled speculation about whether Formula 1 still excites him.
"As a racing driver, you're used to pushing at the limit all the time. But that's not always the smartest thing to do—you have to adapt. I don't see that as a problem. If you're intelligent, you'll adapt to whatever surrounds you. But is it fun? Do you enjoy it? No, not really. My desire to race has never been about results. At the end of the day, racing has to be enjoyable. It doesn't matter whether you're winning or what series you're competing in. If you're not enjoying your job, you won't last very long. I think that's true for everyone. Nobody wants to spend their life doing something they don't enjoy."
Perhaps sim racing and the Nordschleife simply offer Verstappen a fresh challenge and a chance to step outside his comfort zone. For now, however, his focus remains on Formula 1. The new season began in Australia, where Verstappen finished only sixth in Friday's second practice session, more than half a second behind pace-setter Oscar Piastri. Unsurprisingly, his assessment was realistic rather than optimistic.
"The first practice session was quite productive—we completed a good number of laps. In the second session we ran into a few issues. We're still working on the setup. We struggled with grip, and I even ended up in the gravel once. It wasn't an ideal day, but in terms of outright pace we're pretty much where I expected us to be."
P.S. Verstappen crashed during the very first qualifying session of the 2026 Formula 1 season in Australia.
