Verstappen warns he could quit F1 over FIA swearing punishment

The Red Bull driver conducted another press conference - away from the FIA gaze - where Autosport asked him if he was reconsidering his future in F1, giving a sensational response

Max Verstappen has said his punishment for swearing in an FIA press conference has left him reconsidering his Formula 1 future.

For the second day running, Verstappen gave monosyllabic responses to questions raised by journalists in the FIA press conference. Afterwards, his Red Bull team facilitated a second press conference where he would freely reply.

With journalists crammed into the Red Bull hospitality, Verstappen was first asked about his decision not to open up in the FIA press conference, born as a consequence of his community service punishment for using the word "f*****" in a live FIA press conference on Thursday.

When asked by Autosport if this latest punishment was making him reconsider his future, he replied: "For sure. Yeah. I mean, these kinds of things definitely decide my future as well.

"When you can't be yourself, you have to deal with these kinds of silly things. I'm at a stage of my career that I don't want to be dealing with this all the time. It's really tiring.

"Of course it's great to have success and win races, but once you have accomplished all that, winning championships and races, then you want to just have a good time as well.

"Everyone is pushing to the limit. Everyone in this battle, even at the back of the grid. But if you have to deal with all these kind of silly things: for me, that is not a way of continuing in the sport, that's for sure."

When asked if he thought F1's governing body was aware it risked losing a multiple world champion, he said: "I don't know how serious they will take that kind of stuff.

"But for me, of course, at one point, when it's enough, it's enough. We'll see, everything will go on in Formula 1 without me, it's not a problem, but it's also not a problem for me. So it's how it is."

Verstappen, relaxed and engaged in something of a cathartic experience, also opened up on if the threat of punishment was depriving him of being authentic.

"Yeah, for sure. If you can't really be yourself, like, to the fullest, then it's better not to speak at the end of the day," he said.

"But that's what no one wants, because then you become a robot, and that's not how you should be going about it in the sport."

Verstappen, who finished in second place in the Singapore GP behind Lando Norris, was probed further on why he felt he was being punished, to which he said, "it's all a bit too soft really, and honestly it's super silly what we're dealing with".

The three-time world champion has promised to continue his own press conferences going forward, but there is a chance of ending his standoff with the authorities, providing it is a discussion with F1 chiefs as well as the FIA.

However, he said it is clear that things need to change, pointing out to how Carlos Sainz was fined €25,000 for crossing a live track after he crashed out in qualifying.

"Carlos got a fine crossing the track as well," he explained. "Whatever you're talking about, it's a red flag, cars are coming in to the pits. I think it's quite safe and he knows what he's doing.

"We're not stupid. Again, these kind of things. Like when I saw it, you know, even like getting noted, I'm like, 'my god, what are we doing?' You know, these kind of things are just, for me, super silly."