Max Verstappen shares 'not very healthy' admission amid F1 misery

Max Verstappen has revealed he is having to tell himself to "give it 100%" in F1 this season, something he believes is "not very healthy" given his current lack of enjoyment.

The four-time drivers' champion has openly criticised the new regulations and has not been shy about how little he likes racing the 2026 cars.

It has pushed the Dutchman to publicly contemplate retirement from the series at the end of the year, which he had previously stated he was not considering.

"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."

Not only has the 28-year-old lost the fun factor, but Red Bull is mired in a poor start to the campaign, with Verstappen languishing down in ninth in the standings after three rounds.

The RB22 has thus far proven a troublesome chassis, and the new power unit — created in partnership with Ford — is relatively strong, but the project is still in its infancy.

Although the 71-time grand prix winner insists his dissatisfaction is not a consequence of the disappointing start to the season, he is starting to suffer a loss of motivation.

"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.

Whilst Verstappen feels he is still putting his all into each race weekend, that is getting more and more difficult to achieve.

"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.

He was keen, however, to reiterate that his stance is not one governed by performance. He added: "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."