As the spotlight shifts back to Formula 1's comeback in Miami, all eyes will also be on Max Verstappen after his candid admission a month ago that he is weighing his future in the sport. Verstappen has not shied away from criticizing the new 2026 regulations, arguing that they have forced a different style of driving and altered the character of the races. At the same time, Red Bull have struggled to dominate the front of the grid as they once did.
During the five‑week lull between the final Japanese Grand Prix and the upcoming Miami event, the FIA and the sport's commercial rights holders have tweaked the power‑unit rules in an attempt to address several driver concerns, including those raised by Verstappen. The changes are intended to restore a more consistent level of flat‑out performance and to reduce the reliance on strategic deployment that has made qualifying and race pace feel uneven.
Adding another layer of intrigue, Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase unexpectedly announced this month that he will depart Red Bull for a role at McLaren no later than 2028. While Verstappen would have been aware of the impending move before the public statement, the news introduces a fresh variable into the conversation about his long‑term plans. Journalists are expected to press the Dutch champion on his thoughts about the engineering switch during Miami's media day on Thursday, and the performance of the Red Bull RB‑19 on the street circuit could serve as a litmus test for his satisfaction with the team's direction.
Verstappen has previously hinted that he would consider stepping away from Formula 1 if Lambiase were not his engineer, a sentiment he voiced after clinching his first world title in 2021. Although circumstances evolve, the partnership between driver and engineer has been described as "marriage‑like," and replicating that chemistry elsewhere would be a significant challenge. Red Bull have confirmed that Lambiase will remain with the squad until the end of 2027, but McLaren are reportedly eager to secure the 45‑year‑old sooner.
Verstappen's current contract runs through the end of the 2028 season, yet Sky Sports News reports that performance‑related clauses could enable an earlier exit if the competitive balance does not improve. Team principal Laurent Mekies emphasized the openness of the dialogue with Verstappen, stating: "We speak almost daily with Max.
He fully understands the breadth of the discussions we are having about Gianpiero. Because of his relationship with GP and because we operate with complete transparency, Max is not outside the project – he is very much inside it.
He was in the simulator yesterday and the day before, and he knows the long‑term development cycle we have undertaken." Lambiase joins a growing list of senior Red Bull figures who have left the Milton Keynes outfit in recent years, including legendary designer Adrian Newey, long‑time team principal Christian Horner, senior advisor Helmut Marko, former technical director Rob Marshall (now at McLaren), and ex‑head of strategy Will Courtenay, who also moved to McLaren as sporting director. The departure of such influential personnel raises the question of how Verstappen perceives the loss of another key collaborator, perhaps the most personally important to him. According to Verstappen, the regulatory framework is the primary factor influencing his future decisions, and the Miami weekend will provide concrete evidence of whether the sport has taken sufficient steps to address his concerns. "I would say the same if I were winning races, because I care about the racing product," he said after retiring from the second round of the season in China.
"It’s not about being upset with where I am – I’m actually fighting harder now. You start to understand what you have to do and what the sport really means to you.
For me, it’s almost a joke when the regulations undermine the spectacle." Many drivers, Verstappen included, have expressed frustration that they can no longer push to the absolute limit in qualifying, and that the so‑called "yo‑yo" racing style—where the order constantly flips due to deployment levels—has become a dominant feature. In response, the FIA convened a series of meetings with the teams this month and agreed to amend certain aspects of the power‑unit regulations to encourage more consistent, full‑throttle driving throughout a race weekend. Mekies praised Verstappen's commitment, noting: "The Max we see is a fully committed Max.
He wants a fast car and he is helping the team get a fast car. He is putting all his energy into that. He is passionate about the sport and, as you said, he raised his voice when he felt things needed to be done. We have a step forward for the regs coming for Miami, and he is embracing that.
Will it be enough? Time will tell." Miami will host not only a 57‑lap Grand Prix on Sunday but also a 19‑lap Sprint on Saturday, providing a further opportunity to assess whether the racing style that characterized the opening three rounds of the season is returning. Red Bull plan to bring major upgrades to the Miami circuit as they attempt to close the performance gap to Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren. In the previous race, Verstappen finished 32 seconds behind race‑winner Kimi Antonelli, though a mid‑race safety car meant the actual gap between the leading Mercedes and Red Bull would likely have exceeded a minute under uninterrupted green‑flag conditions.
Sky Sports F1 analyst Martin Brundle observed, "Max has made it clear he wants to see how the car evolves. The power unit has been impressive, but the chassis and aerodynamics have struggled." Red Bull's first‑ever in‑house power unit, built in partnership with Ford, has shown competitiveness, yet the team's current weaknesses lie in aerodynamics and chassis balance.
Verstappen trialled new side‑pods, a revised floor and an updated engine cover in Japan, but was out‑qualified by teammate Isack Hadjar, suggesting the upgrades had not yet delivered the expected performance gains. Since mid‑2024, McLaren has generally out‑developed Red Bull, but Red Bull discovered a late‑season breakthrough last year that allowed Verstappen to narrowly miss the drivers' title to Lando Norris. The team now faces the challenge of replicating that upward trajectory this season; failure to do so could heighten Verstappen's frustration.
Mekies reiterated the team's priorities: "We are conscious that the priority is to give Max a car he can push with. This is not solely about the regulations. We know the first three races gave him and Isack a very difficult car, and we need to provide a machine he can consistently extract performance from.
It may not immediately translate into podiums, but it will allow Max to unleash his effect and give us a platform to build development on. I am confident that, even if we are not perfect for Miami, the team will get to the bottom of what is limiting us, just as we did last year, and we will see more smiles on Max's face." The Miami Grand Prix marks the return of Formula 1 this Friday, featuring the season's second Sprint weekend and promising to deliver a clear signal about the sport's direction, the competitiveness of Red Bull's package, and ultimately, the clues Verstappen will take into his future negotiations. Stream the race live on Sky Sports F1 or via NOW for uninterrupted coverage, and stay tuned for what could be a pivotal moment in the championship narrative.