Max Verstappen makes final decision on retiring from F1 next season

Max Verstappen has moved to clarify his immediate future in Formula 1 after threatening to leave the sport behind.

Verstappen, 28, won four consecutive Formula 1 drivers' world championships between 2021 and 2024 but is seldom more than a few months away from reiterating his intention to leave F1 when the fun and fire leave him.

The Dutch driver, who holds the senior seat at Red Bull, sits in seventh place in the drivers' standings after four rounds of the 2026 season.

Verstappen is 74 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli, having retired in China and failed to claim a place on the podium in the other three Grands Prix in Australia, Japan and Miami.

According to reporting by De Telegraaf via Crash, Verstappen has put to bed speculation about his retirement but there's no guarantee his 2027 season will see him back in a Red Bull.

"I hope everyone keeps their word, but I can confirm that I will stay in Formula 1," the driver told De Telegraaf.

"I would not take a sabbatical, I'm not the person for that. If I stop, I stop completely. That's just not on the cards right now.

"I'm not in a hurry [to make a decision about a 2027 team]. I'd prefer to stay connected to Red Bull for the rest of my life, I've always said that.

"But making that decision doesn't have to be today or tomorrow. Whether it is here or somewhere else, there is much more to it than the F1 contract alone.

"I am also talking about all the other projects. I am also in talks with Red Bull about that."

Former world champion labouring in a substandard car in 2026

Verstappen finished just two points behind world championship winner Lando Norris in 2025 after ending the previous four successive seasons at the top of the standings.

His best finish this season was fifth place in Miami at the beginning of May.

He was on the podium after each of the last 10 races of 2025, winning the last three in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

Red Bull have struggled in the early part of 2026, with the constructor admitting to failings with the car in which Verstappen and teammate Isack Hadjar are trying to compete.

Verstappen has been openly critical of the car on a number of occasions.