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After a disappointing qualifying at Suzuka, Verstappen sounded like he had skipped a few steps in the cycle of grief, and frogleaped ahead to the final one: acceptance.
Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen (AP)
Max Verstappen sounds like a man who’s stopped smashing the controllers, not because the game got easier, but because he’s accepted it’s broken.
And all it took was less than three races into the new era of F1.
The Dutchman’s spiral continued at the Japanese Grand Prix, where the four-time world champion could only manage P11 in qualifying: his worst Saturday showing at a track he’s practically owned over the last five years.
Max’s reaction? Not angry. Not even frustrated. Just… done.
“I’m not even frustrated any more. I’m beyond that. I don’t know the right word in English for it. I don’t know what to make of it, to be honest,” the Dutchman vented to the media.
“I don’t even know. There’s probably no word. I don’t get upset about it. I don’t get disappointed or frustrated by it any more with what’s going on.”
“You know how I think about a lot of stuff, right? I don’t need to mention it again,” Verstappen added.
“So a lot of stuff for me to personally figure out.”
Pressed further, his response was even more telling: “Life. Life here.”
From Dominance to Damage Control
At the Suzuka Circuit, Verstappen has been untouchable — having clinched poles and wins like clockwork since 2019.
But the Dutchman had a horror of a wake-up call today, when he was knocked out before Q3 by rookie Arvid Lindblad, and was also beaten by teammate Isack Hadjar.
To make matters worse, he was over a second adrift of Kimi Antonelli’s benchmark.
“I’m not even frustrated anymore. I’m beyond that,” Verstappen admitted. “I don’t get upset… or disappointed… with what’s going on.”
The Problem? Not Just The Car
Yes, the Red Bull Racing car looks off, to say the least — having secured no points in China, and a best finish of sixth so far in the season opener at Melbourne.
But the real issue for Max runs deeper.
Verstappen has repeatedly taken aim at F1’s new hybrid regulations, the same ones he’s mocked as “Mario Kart.” The heavy energy management, the awkward balance between speed and saving has proven to have bested him so far.
And now, it’s not even making him angry anymore.
So… What now?
Can Verstappen pull off another signature recovery drive on Sunday? Maybe. He’s done it before.
But this time around, Max isn’t just trying to drag a bad car to good results. Rather, he’s coming to terms with a version of F1 he clearly doesn’t enjoy, with a team that can’t currently give him the answers he is seeking.
March 28, 2026, 6:29 PM IST
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