Verstappen to take “weeks and months” to consider future as Red Bull struggles continue

Max Verstappen is not enjoying his time in Formula 1 and will spend the coming “weeks and months” thinking about his future. “I have things to figure out about what I really want,” he said after the Japanese Grand Prix on Viaplay. “It has to stay enjoyable. Life isn’t just Formula 1; there are other things we can do,” said the four-time world champion.

Verstappen has been openly frustrated with Formula 1’s latest technical rules, particularly the hybrid systems that require constant battery management. Combined with ongoing handling problems in his Red Bull, it has made racing increasingly difficult for him.

At Suzuka, where he had dominated in recent years, he managed only an eighth-place finish on Sunday. Afterward, he admitted he was relieved when the race ended, saying he had been counting down the laps and criticizing how difficult overtaking has become with the current cars.

Starting from P11, Verstappen made early progress by passing several rivals and climbing to eighth. However, his charge stalled behind Pierre Gasly. Even when Verstappen briefly overtook him on a straight, Gasly quickly responded using extra battery power to surge back past and reclaim the spot.

“I just waved at him when he came past me again,” Verstappen said with a smile. “It’s not going the way it should, but getting frustrated about it all the time won’t help. I’m just trying to laugh about it,” added the driver from Limburg, who hopes that Red Bull Racing can improve the car over the coming month, during which there are no Formula 1 races. “There’s a lot to fix, because we have a lot of problems.”

The race was won by Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. By securing the win, Antonelli moved ahead of teammate George Russell in the world championship standings. Russell came home fourth, while Antonelli made history as the youngest driver ever to lead the championship.