Verstappen Rules Out F1 Sabbatical But Continues To Push For “Pure Racing”

Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has given a definitive answer on whether he would consider taking a sabbatical from the sport.
The topic of Verstappen’s future has been a consistent talking point, with speculation ranging from a team switch to a full exit from Formula 1 altogether.
At the start of the season, it was reported that Verstappen was “seriously considering” retirement, before he confirmed his future in Canada following news of changes to the engine rules.
From 2027, the split between electrical power and the internal combustion engine will shift to 60/40 in favour of the latter, aimed at returning a more natural style of racing to the sport.
Speaking to the press, Verstappen said: “I just want a good product in Formula 1. And that will for sure improve the product.”
He continued: “Hopefully that will happen next year. That will already help a lot, because I’ve always said it doesn’t matter if I had a good car or not. It’s just the product.”
When asked about the possibility of a sabbatical in an interview with Dutch publication De Telegraaf, Verstappen was direct in his response, closing the door on that particular option entirely.
Verstappen replied: “No, not a sabbatical. I’m not that sort of person. If I stop, I’ll stop completely. But that’s not on the cards at the moment.”
Following the Canadian Grand Prix, Verstappen again labelled Formula 1 as “anti-racing” and expressed his desire for more “pure” racing experiences elsewhere in motorsport.
He said: “60/40 [power to battery ratio] is the minimum [I’d be happy with]. I know how pure other motorsports can feel like. So then, when you come back to this, it’s just, yeah, not very nice.”
Verstappen added: “I don’t want to be too negative now after a race like this, but I know what it feels like to drive pure racing cars and pure overtakes, pure racing, and just natural driving.”
He concluded: “This is all a bit like very anti-driving, anti-racing. Yeah, and that’s not what Formula 1 should be about. So, I really hope that next year we can get that 60-40 because that will naturally help everything a bit.”
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