Max Verstappen has announced he will take a pause to weigh his Formula 1 future amid the 2026 regulation shift that has drawn sharp criticism from the Dutchman. The new power‑unit rules, which favour battery management, have rattled teams and drivers alike. Verstappen, who slammed the changes as “anti‑racing,” now faces a season that sees Red Bull struggling for balance and grip.

Red Bull’s RB22 has delivered a severe lack of balance, pushing the team into sixth place with just 16 points, 12 of which come from Verstappen himself. The Dutchman finished ninth in the drivers’ standings after a disappointing eighth in Japan, where his Q2 exit highlighted the car’s limitations. With the season’s first five races postponed, his future hangs in the balance.

Beyond the track, Verstappen has begun racing GT3 endurance events, including the Nürburgring 24 Hours, signalling a diversification of his driving portfolio. Meanwhile, his long‑time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase is set to leave for McLaren by 2028, a move Verstappen says will not influence his own contract decisions. He remains open to a new engineer but stresses the need for continuity today.