Max Verstappen says Red Bull needs to change its car and work through fundamental performance problems as it looks toward next season, while he remains committed to the team after signing a two-year contract extension. The four-time world champion has five podiums in 2026 but has yet to win a race, and says Red Bull is not in contention for the title. He also renewed his criticism of Formula 1’s hybrid engine rules, saying they constrain drivers’ ability to make a difference behind the wheel.

Verstappen spoke to BBC Sport on the eve of last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza, during a heatwave with temperatures in the mid-30s Celsius. Red Bull’s hospitality unit was struggling in the heat, and his public relations handler suggested the interviewer find a table near a fan before the Dutchman arrived. Verstappen briefly adjusted the fan aimed at them and said, “It's too hot in here.” Asked whether he wanted a breather before the interview, he replied, “No, no,” and added, “I'm good. It was just that it was super-hot in the corner when I was doing the print [media].”

Verstappen is known for speaking plainly, and he was particularly frank as he discussed his season, his contract, conversations with rival teams, endurance racing and the next generation of F1 engines. Monza was the second race since he signed a two-year extension with Red Bull. The deal is expected to run to the end of 2030, but it includes performance clauses, leaving open the possibility that he could seek another team if Red Bull is still struggling to compete next year. The extension brings him more money, while his future still depends in part on the team’s performance.

Asked how he viewed the season so far, Verstappen said, “Of course it's not where I want to be, but as a team we're trying to just learn and understand a lot of things for next year. We are not in a title fight. We are just trying to find more performance.” He said changes would be needed for next year, but that the team could not make those changes in time to fix the current season. “We will not be able to change that for this year, but we just need to try and get a lot of learnings to do better next year.”

He described the car as short of performance and said its balance through corners was inconsistent from entry to the middle and exit. “The car is not where I want it to be feeling-wise, and the through-corner balance is too hit and miss between entry, mid and exit,” he said. “It's just fundamentally something in the car that we need to try and work on for the next year.” The issue has persisted across different regulations, he said, prompting internal discussions about how it developed and how the team might address it. Some staff have left and new people have joined, and Verstappen said the team is considering whether it needs targeted changes or a different philosophy.

Verstappen said his decision to extend his contract reflected his connection to Red Bull and his belief the team can improve. “It comes down to also feeling well within a team. This is like a second family to me,” he said. He added that he believes the team can turn its fortunes around and build toward a better future with new people. Red Bull is also involved in projects he plans to pursue outside Formula 1 next year, he said. “I feel good here. So this, for me, is the right place to be.”

He said he had told Red Bull not to rush him into a decision and to focus on the car. “I always said to them: 'Don't stress about it, just work on the car.' Because the faster the car goes, the easier the decision is anyway.” He understood why the team might have been concerned, but said he was focused on what was happening at Red Bull and busy with activities outside F1. He did not spend much time discussing a move or trying to go elsewhere.

Verstappen said he does not need to prove he can win in another car and is willing to take on the challenge of rebuilding Red Bull. “I don't mind the challenge also. I don't have that desire or need to show in another car that I can win it, or whatever,” he said. He described moving to the fastest team as an easy option, but said, “You cannot be the captain of the ship and as soon as there is something not working, you jump off the ship.” Red Bull’s results have declined from its dominant years, he said, but he is prepared to help rebuild it.

He confirmed that he had spoken with Mercedes last year and McLaren this year. “Of course, any kind of chat you take seriously. They're all very respectful chats. There's nothing wrong with that,” he said. Staying with Red Bull felt right to him, and he said he follows his instincts. He could have left earlier in his Red Bull career to try to win elsewhere, but said patience eventually brought success. “I feel like that's my approach now as well.”

The racing experience he enjoyed most this year was the Nürburgring 24 Hours in May. Verstappen competed with team-mates Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella in an endurance event with the group that had won races with the car during the main season. Their entry was leading by about 30 seconds with three hours and 20 minutes remaining when a broken driveshaft ended their hopes of victory. “It was super-cool to be able to do an endurance event with my team-mates, the guys that won with the car throughout the main season,” Verstappen said. “We knew that we were going to be really strong. We peaked at the right time, but unfortunately the car retired. It was an incredible experience. And pure. Pure motorsport.”

In his first stint, he climbed from 10th to first in changing and hazardous conditions. Rain began to fall, the track became slippery, crashes occurred and Code 60 restrictions slowed cars to 60 kilometres an hour in sections after incidents. Verstappen said he had already practised such scenarios extensively on a simulator, including many laps and 24-hour races. “I was fully zoned in. I just had a great time,” he said. “Once I was in the race, you switch to another level. I was just in a zone. It's really enjoyable.”

He wants to return to the Nürburgring to win and is also interested in endurance races and, eventually, the Hypercar category in the World Endurance Championship. He said he did not want to rush into it and would want the right setting, on his terms, with a competitive team. Asked about racing at Le Mans with Fernando Alonso, Verstappen said the two had discussed it. Alonso is 45 and, in Verstappen’s view, remains highly capable; his experience could make him a good choice for Le Mans. Any plan would need to fit their schedules, make sense and offer a genuine chance to win, he said.

Verstappen has repeatedly criticized the new F1 engine rules. At the Japanese Grand Prix, he asked, “Is it worth it?” He said his reasons for continuing include the hope that the rules will improve, acceptance of the current situation and his continuing love of the sport, even though he is not enjoying the driving at present. “I love competition, naturally,” he said. “I just hope that in the coming years, towards 2030, it can only get better. And to start to make the best of it, because these are the rules for the next four or five years.” The split between internal combustion and electric power is scheduled to shift to 60-40 in two steps by 2028.

He said the battery recharging demands can force drivers to lift off, brake earlier or delay acceleration to gain speed elsewhere, rather than being rewarded for late braking, early throttle and commitment through fast corners. “It's so unnatural. It's so not how it should be,” he said. Verstappen cited Yuki Tsunoda’s immediate competitiveness after joining a Racing Bulls car at the Dutch Grand Prix, and Liam Lawson’s competitiveness after moving from Racing Bulls to Red Bull, as examples of cars he considers less sensitive to driver inputs. “These cars are numb to your driver inputs,” he said. The fastest drivers still prevail, he added, but the rules limit their influence, which he compared to a “choke hold.”

For a future engine formula in 2030 or 2031, Verstappen said he wants Formula 1 to return to V8 engines. He said older cars deliver a different engine response and are easier to drive, while current cars are heavy and feel worse than V8-powered cars. He also considered the previous year’s turbo-hybrid engines inferior to V8s. His preference is for a smaller, lighter V8 and a limited battery used like a push-to-pass system, without the battery contributing during ordinary performance running. He would ideally remove the turbocharger as well because it causes turbo lag.

Verstappen said he has been fortunate to have had several decent years in terms of results, though the battery aspect of the current rules was not to his liking. He also referred to the emotional appeal of V8 and V10 engines from his childhood. The supplied interview ends during his response about what he enjoys in F1 now, after he begins describing those earlier engines.

Based on reporting by BBC Sport.