Why four-time world champion Max Verstappen is considering walking away from F1

By Ben Church, CNN

(CNN) — He may be a four-time world champion and one of the faces of Formula 1, but Max Verstappen is not having a good time in the sport he once loved.

For a while now, the Dutchman has seemed unsettled and unhappy with the direction F1 is heading, so much so that he’s now openly considering walking away from the sport entirely at the end of the season.

The 28-year-old’s frustrations came to the fore again after the Red Bull driver finished eighth at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend, venting his grievances to the media after the race.

“I keep telling myself every day to try and enjoy it. It’s just very hard,” Verstappen told BBC Sport.

“I’m thinking about everything inside this paddock. I mean, privately, I’m very happy. But you wait for 24 races, this time 22, but normally 24, and then you just think about is it worth it?

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

‘Formula E on steroids’

It’s a damning indictment for the sport that one of its biggest names is no longer taking much joy from the competition.

Many of his issues stem from the new regulations that have changed the way teams and drivers strategize during races. More focus is now on managing an on-board battery and using electrical energy to improve performance.

Earlier this year, Verstappen said he was struggling to have fun with the new regulations, describing the sport as “a bit like Formula E on steroids,” arguing it’s no longer about pure racing.

In addition to his issues within the sport, Verstappen is also entering a new chapter of his life off the track. The star and his long-term partner welcomed their first child last year, and it seems Verstappen is relishing spending quality time with his family.

He’s also enjoying working on other projects out of the sport, so much so that the concept of traveling most of the year – to race cars he doesn’t like – is no longer as appealing.

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

“Make a lot of money, great. But at the end of the day, it’s not about money anymore because this has always been my passion, right? As a kid, this is what I wanted to do, and back then, I had no idea what I was going to achieve.

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

Even before Sunday’s race, you could tell Verstappen was in an irritable mood.

Last week, the driver refused to answer any questions at a press conference unless a particular journalist – one he had an issue with for a prior line of questioning – left the room.

It was another symptom of his current unhappiness in the sport which looks to be causing more problems than it’s currently solving in his life.

Kimi Antonelli wins again

The obvious context to his comments is the fact Verstappen is no longer as dominant as he once was in the sport.

For years, the Red Bull driver was the benchmark – often cruising through races with rivals unable to challenge his superiority.

But those four consecutive world titles between 2021 and 2024 now seem like a distant memory, with the Dutchman looking unable to compete with the championship leaders so far this season.

That was the case again at the Japanese Grand Prix, with Italian 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli winning his second straight race this season. The Mercedes driver finished over 13 seconds ahead of his nearest rival, following on from the first race win of his career in China two weeks ago.

Antonelli is the second youngest driver to win an F1 race. The youngest? Verstappen, of course.

Despite witnessing a changing of the guard, the Dutch driver argues that he can accept finishing in the middle of the field as long as he’s still enjoying the sport. And of course, he’s not confirming he definitely will walk away at the end of the season.

His latest comments, though, will pile more pressure on the sport’s governing body to listen to what he and some of the other drivers are telling it.

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