Racing
© Jonathan Borba
After a frustrating P8 at Suzuka, Max Verstappen said he is questioning whether to continue in Formula 1 and then flew to the Nürburgring Nordschleife to test a Mercedes‑AMG GT3. The Red Bull driver qualified 11th at the Japanese Grand Prix and could only climb to eighth at the flag. He said he is not enjoying driving the current car and is rethinking whether the full F1 calendar and grind still make sense. He pointed to a lack of joy behind the wheel as a trigger for a wider life choice.
Verstappen framed the moment as a personal crossroads rather than a dip in form. He said money is not what drives him. He wants to have fun when he races. He also wants more time with family and friends. Forcing himself to push in F1 does not feel healthy to him. The message was consistent across the weekend. He did not speak of targets or titles. He spoke about balance and what he wants his day-to-day to look like.
His actions match his words. Verstappen has moved fast to build a parallel program in GT racing. He entered a four-hour race at the Nürburgring and was the standout in qualifying. He and co-drivers Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella took the win on the road before being disqualified for an issue with tyre sets. He has laid out plans to return for more NLS rounds and to aim for the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring. The plan is not on paper only. It is already on track.
The push gathered pace right after Japan. He left Suzuka for Germany and carried out a private test on the Nordschleife in a Mercedes‑AMG GT3. The session was part of his prep for upcoming endurance events at the Green Hell. The car, the circuit, and the race format are a clear change from F1. He is choosing more seat time in long runs and in mixed traffic. He is also choosing a place where driver rhythm and risk management shape the result as much as raw pace over one lap.
Context in F1 helps explain the shift. The RBPT-Ford package is not at the front at the moment. Mercedes and Ferrari have the edge on outright pace. The way this generation of cars must be driven has also narrowed the space where Verstappen once found more lap time. That has turned P7 and P8 into a realistic ceiling on some Sundays. For a driver used to controlling races from the front, the gap feels stark. It has made the job feel like a grind more than a game.
Verstappen is not making a retirement announcement. He is laying out a choice he is now weighing in public. He is clear that he wants joy and a life he can share with people close to him. He is also clear that GT and endurance racing deliver a kind of challenge he wants to explore. The Nürburgring project is not a side show set for the off-season. It is a growing part of his racing year. It has testing, team plans, and a path toward one of the sport’s hardest 24-hour races.
The next races will test how long he stays on both tracks. If F1 results remain stuck in the midfield, the pull toward the Nordschleife will only feel stronger. For now, he is racing in two worlds. One is the global, high-pressure sprint of Formula 1. The other is the long, complex fight of GT endurance on the world’s most punishing circuit. Verstappen has shown where his head is. He has also shown where he wants to drive next.