The only thing Red Bull can do to motivate Max Verstappen may not be enough

March 31, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

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Set aside for now the irony of Max Verstappen criticising the state of Formula 1 while eulogising GT3 racing – the epitome of an artificial formula where the competitors regularly bemoan the balance of performance regime. His body language in recent grand prix weekends has signalled that his hints about fading motivation are real.

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“Every day I wake up, I convince myself again. And I try,” he said after the Japanese Grand Prix when Motorsport.com asked how difficult it was to stay engaged with a difficult car in a formula he clearly dislikes.

Likening his mood to one of the new power units, Verstappen went on: “It starts OK in the morning, then it goes mehhhh…”

Shortly afterwards, he gave a now-infamous interview with the BBC’s Jennie Gow in which, when asked if he was thinking about walking away from F1 at the end of this season, he replied, “I'm thinking about everything inside this paddock…

“Privately I'm very happy. You also wait for 24 races. This time it's 22. But normally 24.

“And then you just think is it worth it? Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family? Seeing my friends more when you're not enjoying your sport?"

Verstappen has been a vocal critic of the new technical regulations since his first experiences in the simulator. Having a less-than-competitive car has also no doubt shaped his outlook, though he has consistently denied that Red Bull’s current performance deficit is the main factor behind his talk of quitting.

Mid-way through last year, he also signalled a declining interest in F1, only to regain focus when Red Bull managed to switch the car on, triggering a competitive renaissance from the Italian GP onwards. Given that any changes to the technical formula are likely to be minor in the short term, Red Bull urgently needs to improve its car if it wants to maintain Verstappen’s interest.

Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Principal

“We certainly focus on the competitive picture,” said team principal Laurent Mekies when asked by Motorsport.com whether he feared the Dutchman is losing interest in F1.

“Yes, that's what we do. We are having zero discussions about those aspects.

“We have a lot of work to do. I'm sure by the time we give him a fast car he can push and make a difference with, he will be a much happier Max.

“So, honestly, that's 100% of our discussions right now, is that. And as per the regs, as you know, they are coming with some good aspects and more tricky aspects. And as a sport, with the other teams, we will meet in the break [between Japan and Miami] to see how we can tweak them to make things better.”

The problem for Red Bull is that it seems to be struggling to pin down the areas in which its technical package is falling short: “It's chassis, it's PU, it's everything,” said Mekies in Japan.

While the team is confident its power unit, built in-house in collaboration with Ford, will be “in the group” that qualifies for changes under the ADUO (Additional Development and Opportunities) framework, the timing of the first ‘window’ for this is still subject to discussion. The internal combustion engines qualify for one in-season upgrade if their ‘performance index’ is 2% below the best on the grid – but upgrades can only be introduced every six races, and the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs has potentially pushed that threshold back.

Max Verstappen was stuck fighting the midfield in Japan

Even if it gets a PU performance break, the team still has to resolve where it is falling short dynamically on the chassis and aero side. Tellingly, so far this season it has been unable to transform its car overnight between practice and qualifying, as it did so often last season during Verstappen’s late-season run.

“I’m confident that we will use that break to make a very good step forward,” said Mekies.

“We need the time to deep dive into our data. We need the time to simulate back what we see in the data into the tunnel, into our simulator.

“Does it mean you come to Miami and you have solved everything as a miracle? No.

“But again, am I confident that the team will get to the bottom of that understanding and start bringing improvements already in Miami? I think that's what you will see.

“But only the track and the lap time will give us an indication on whether we go into the right directions. I don't think we should expect a miracle about the amplitude of closing the gap because the gap is substantial.”

Max Verstappen has been a harsh critic of the 2026 cars

Another problem that will not go away quickly is the nature of driving the 2026 cars, which Verstappen disdains so much. What he particularly dislikes is that so much of the decision-making as regards torque deliver is now determined by machine-learning algorithms rather than the driver’s right foot.

Essentially the system is programmed to optimise towards beginning every lap with a full battery, so if a driver pushes too much in the corners they will effectively be punished with reduced power on the straights. The dependence on machine learning has also led to scenarios where drivers have to use boost when they don’t necessarily want to, as remarked upon by Lando Norris last weekend.

"I can easily accept to be in P7 or P8 where I am," Verstappen told the BBC.

"Because I also know that you can't be dominating or be first or second or whatever, fighting for a podium every time. I'm very realistic in that and I've been there before. I've not only been winning in F1.

"But at the same time when you are in P7 or P8 and you are not enjoying the whole formula behind it, it doesn't feel natural to a racing driver.

"Of course I try to adapt to it, but it's not nice the way you have to race. It's really anti-driving. Then at one point, yeah, it's just not what I want to do.

"I see it like this: you hear it from a lot of sports people when you speak to them about how are you successful. It all starts with actually enjoying what you're doing before you can actually commit to it 100%.

"Now I think I'm committing 100% and I'm still trying, but the way that I am telling myself to give it 100% I think is not very healthy at the moment, because I’m not enjoying what I'm doing.

"People can easily say, 'Yeah, well, you've won so many championships and races and now, just because the car is not good, you are complaining.'

“Maybe you can see it like that, but I see it different."

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