Max Verstappen dropped another hint he could walk away from F1 after admitting her was “beyond frustrated” with “life” in the sport.
The Dutchman, 28, is a four-time world champion but has repeatedly poured doubt on his future in Formula One.
The Red Bull star missed out on the 2025 title to Lando Norris and has had a tough start to the current season.
Verstappen finished sixth on the opening day in Melbourne after a crash in qualifying before retiring from the Chinese Grand Prix.
And he cut a dejected figure after finishing 11th in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix as he gave a cryptic message.
He told reporters: “I am not even frustrated anymore. I am beyond that.
“I don’t know the right word in English for it. I don’t know it in Dutch either. I don’t know what to make of it.
“There is no word. I don’t get upset about it. I don’t get frustrated with what is going on anymore.
“There are a lot of things for me personally to figure out.”
When asked what specifically was troubling him, he replied: “Life.”
Verstappen was then quizzed on what he meant by that, he said: “Life here.”
It’s not the first time Verstappen has sent alarm bells ringing over his future in the sport.
Earlier this month he slammed the sports’ new regulations and called for chiefs to create “F1 on steroids” after the Australian Grand Prix.
He said at the time he loved racing, “but you can only take so much”.
He added: “I think they’re willing to listen, the FIA and F1, but I just hope there is some action.
“I’m not the only one saying it. A lot of people are saying the same, be it the drivers or the fans.
“We want it to be Formula 1, you know, proper Formula 1 on steroids, but today, again, that was not the case.”
And after the Chinese Grand Prix, he again hit out at officials, saying the “painful” new rules would “come back to bite the sport on the a**”.
Verstappen fumed: “It is terrible, and if someone likes this, then you really don’t know what racing is about.
“It is not fun at all. It is Mario Kart. This is not racing. We are boosting past. Then you run out of battery, and they boost back past you again. For me, it is just a joke.
“It is not about being upset because of where I am. It is fundamentally flawed. It is painful. It will eventually ruin the sport, and it is going to come back to bite them in the a***.”
– This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission.
