Max Verstappen may consider a break from Formula 1 at the end of the 2026 season and return only when V8 engines are reintroduced in the category. The possibility was raised by Otmar Szafnauer, former head of teams such as Force India, Racing Point, Aston Martin, and Alpine, who believes that a possible departure of the Dutchman would be a significant loss for the category.
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The four-time world champion has already clearly shown that he is dissatisfied with the new technical regulations of Formula 1, especially with the power split between combustion and electric energy, currently balanced at 50-50. Verstappen also did not like the need for battery management to extract performance from the cars.
After four GPs contested in 2026, the driver is 74 points behind the championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, from Mercedes. There is still an expectation of a power split change to 60-40 as early as next season, but there is no guarantee that this will be enough to convince Verstappen to continue in the category.
Meanwhile, the FIA has already confirmed plans for the return of V8 engines powered by fully sustainable fuels in the early next decade. The proposal supported by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem also has the backing of Toto Wolff, head of Mercedes, and Laurent Mekies, head of Red Bull Racing.
For Szafnauer, Verstappen could even leave Formula 1 for a few years and return competitive in the future, repeating moves seen previously with other renowned drivers. The executive recalled the cases of Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso, who stepped away from the category and then returned.
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“Max is a generational talent, and I think Formula 1 benefits from having a talent like him racing in the category. It would be a loss if he left,” Szafnauer said during a podcast participation on RacingNews365.com.
The former executive also highlighted that Raikkonen left Formula 1, competed in other categories, and came back winning races: “Max can leave and decide to return when the power units are closer to what he believes a Formula 1 engine should be. Or, knowing that changes are coming, maybe he stays,” he added.
Szafnauer ended by praising the current level of the Dutchman on the Formula 1 grid: “Even other drivers would say he is among the best on the grid today, maybe the best. In my opinion, he is the best,” he concluded.
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