Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 career might come to an end after he says it’s ‘mentally too hard’ to continue.
Max Verstappen has once again said he might quit Formula 1 at the end of the season if the planned engine rule changes don’t go through.
In early May, the FIA announced they had reached a basic agreement on new rules to reduce energy use with this year’s engines. But since then, many people have pushed back, and it looks like these changes won’t actually happen because they don’t have enough support.
Right now, the changes can’t be approved under Formula 1’s rules, which has upset Verstappen a lot. Drivers have been complaining about the new engines during the 2026 F1 World Championship because they can’t push their cars to the limit like before.
Earlier this week, Verstappen told reporters that if these changes don’t happen, the sport won’t move forward and will just go “almost back to normal.” The new engines struggle because they split energy between electric power and petrol too evenly, making energy recovery very hard.
After qualifying sixth at the Canadian Grand Prix, Verstappen shared how he feels about the stalled agreement. “If it stays like this, next year is going to be long, and I don’t want that,” he said. “Mentally, it’s just not doable for me to keep going like this.”
Verstappen, who recently raced at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, seemed to hint that he might leave F1 for good if the engine changes aren’t made. “There are many fun things out there,” said the four-time champion who even fought a sumo wrestler earlier this month.
The 28-year-old had been excited about the FIA’s initial agreement and was surprised it took so long to get it. “It was the least I hoped for, and I think it’s great that they want to do this. It’s definitely what the sport needs,” he said on Thursday.
Tomorrow, Verstappen will race again at the Canadian Grand Prix, starting from the third row in Montreal.