Max Verstappen sends clear message: 'You don't need to feel sorry for me'

Max Verstappen insists people need not "feel sorry" for him amid his tortured start to the F1 season, with the four-time drivers' champion yet to finish inside the top five.

Three rounds into the campaign, the Dutchman finds himself languishing in ninth in the standings, unfamiliar territory for him.

With just 12 points to his name, on account of his sixth-place finish at the curtain-raising Australian Grand Prix and crossing the line in eighth position at Suzuka, he finds himself behind the likes of Pierre Gasly and Oliver Bearman, racing for Alpine and Haas, respectively.

He also endured a scoreless round at the Shanghai International Circuit, finishing outside the points in the sprint before retiring with a coolant leak in the grand prix.

Not only has the RB22 proven difficult to tame, but Verstappen has also been consistently outspoken over his vehement dislike of the new F1 regulations.

His criticisms have been nothing short of abject since pre-season testing, contending that he has not enjoyed a single lap in the new cars.

The 71-time grand prix winner shared how having to tell himself to continue giving 100% feels "not very healthy" during an interview with BBC Sport, where he further elaborated on the possibility of retiring from F1.

Extracurricular projects, like GT Racing, and his team that competes in that space, have become a sort of refuge for Verstappen, with the 28-year-old returning to the Nordschleife to test in the wake of his disappointing Japanese Grand Prix.

"I have a lot of other projects anyway that I have a lot of passion about," he explained as part of that same interview. "The GT3 racing.

"Not only racing it myself, but also the team. It's really nice and fun to build that. And I really want to build that out further in the coming years.

"It's not like if I would stop here, that I'm not going to do anything. I'm always going to have fun. And also, I will have fun in a lot of other things in my life."

However, he is adamant that he will "be fine" regardless of what decision he makes in the coming months, with retirement at the end of 2026 seemingly suddenly an option on the table.

"But it's a bit sad to be honest that we're even talking about this. It is what it is. You don't need to feel sorry for me. I'll be fine."

He also implied that a change to the F1 rules would play a part in his future, adding: "They know what to do."