Verstappen’s mood sours as the season drags on

Max Verstappen has admitted he is having to push himself to “give it 100%” in Formula 1 this year, even though he no longer finds the process particularly enjoyable. The four-time drivers’ champion said that constant self-reminding is becoming “not very healthy” because, quite simply, the fun has gone missing.

Verstappen has already been vocal about his dislike of the new rules and has made no secret of how little he enjoys racing the 2026 cars. That frustration has even led him to publicly consider leaving Formula 1 at the end of the year, a position that is a noticeable change from his earlier stance that retirement was not on the table.

“I want to be here to have fun, have a great time and enjoy myself,” Verstappen told BBC Sport. “At the moment, that’s not really the case.

“Of course, I do enjoy certain aspects. I enjoy working with my team. It’s like a second family. But once I sit in the car, it’s not the most enjoyable, unfortunately.

“I’m trying. I keep telling myself every day to try and enjoy it. It’s just very hard.”

Results are poor, but he says that is not the real issue

The 28-year-old’s concerns are not happening in a vacuum. Red Bull has had a rough start to the campaign, and after three rounds Verstappen sits ninth in the standings. That is not exactly the sort of leaderboard position that inspires champagne planning.

The RB22 has been a difficult chassis so far, while the new Ford-linked power unit appears to have promise, even if the project is still very much in its early stages. In other words, there are reasons for caution, and a few reasons for headaches too.

Verstappen insisted, however, that his lack of satisfaction is not simply down to the slow start. Instead, he said the bigger problem is motivation, which in motorsport tends to become a bit more important when you are strapped into a fast car and expected to be enthusiastic about it.

“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%,” he explained.

He added that he still believes he is giving everything across race weekends, but said that maintaining that level of effort has become harder.

“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 am not enjoying what I’m doing,” he said.

Verstappen also pushed back against the idea that his comments are just the complaint of a champion with an imperfect car.

“And now 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,” he said.

For now, the message is clear enough: Verstappen is still showing up, still trying, and still winning nothing by pretending he is having the time of his life. In Formula 1, that sort of honesty is rare. It is also not especially reassuring.