Max Verstappen Gives Cryptic Comment on F1 Future Following Dismal Japanese Qualifying
While Mercedes prodigy Kimi Antonelli celebrated his second career pole position, reigning four-time World Champion Max Verstappen found himself out of qualifying earlier than he would have liked. He managed only an 11th-place starting position. In an interview following the session, he gave a cryptic message on his future in Formula 1.
The 28-year-old has previously branded the team’s 2026 challenger, the RB22, as impossible to drive. Yet, stepping out of the cockpit following Saturday’s elimination, there was no anger. Struggling to articulate his feelings in talking to the media, he came across detached instead: “I’m not even frustrated anymore.
I’m beyond that. Yeah, I don’t know what to make of it,” Verstappen said . He continued: “Yeah, I don’t get upset about it.
I don’t get disappointed or frustrated by it anymore with what’s going on,” he admitted. This season has ushered in a substantial overhaul of regulations, heavily leaning on a 50-50 internal combustion and electrical power split. Verstappen has been a vocal opponent of this change, with several other drivers playing on the joke that racing now is like “playing Mario Kart”.
When pressed by journalists on whether there’s light at the end of the tunnel, he answered: “I think we’ll fix it in the coming weeks. The rest of how I think about this stuff, right? I don’t need to mention it again.