Red Bull address Max Verstappen F1 retirement hint

Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has reacted to Max Verstappen's hints that he could retire from Formula 1.

The four-time world champion is increasingly exasperated at F1's 2026 technical regulations, and after qualifying 11th for the Japanese GP claimed that he had a lot of things to consider around "life."

Following another difficult race at Suzuka, in which he was only eighth and tucked up behind Pierre Gasly's Alpine for most of it, Verstappen added that "life isn't just Formula 1" as he ramped up his threats of a bombshell retirement from grand prix racing.

Questioned about the Dutchman's unhappiness, Red Bull chief Mekies explained that the team simply needed to arm Verstappen with a faster car.

"We certainly focus on the competitive picture, that's what we do," Mekies told media, including RacingNews365. 

"We are having zero discussions about the other aspects, so we have a lot of work to do.

"I am sure that by the time we give Max a faster car, he will be a much happier Max, and by the time we give him a car he can push with and make a difference, he will also be a happier Max.

"Honestly, that's 100% of our discussions right now.

"With the regulations, they are coming with some good aspects and some tricky aspects, and as a sport, with the other teams, we will meet in the break to see how we can tweak them to make things better."