Max Verstappen decision sabbatical: Who is his partner Kelly Piquet, what has Audi F1 boss Mattia Binotto said?
After finishing eighth in the Japanese Grand Prix, Max Verstappen said he was considering his future in Formula 1.
Max Verstappen finished eighth in the Japanese Grand Prix in March and spoke about considering his future in Formula 1 after the race. In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live , he said: "I can easily accept to be in P7 or P8 where I am," and continued: "Because I also know that you can't be dominating or be first or second or whatever, fighting for a podium every time. I'm very realistic in that and I've been there before. I've not only been winning in F1.
"But at the same time when you are in P7 or P8 and you are not enjoying the whole formula behind it, it doesn't feel natural to a racing driver.
"Of course I try to adapt to it, but it's not nice the way you have to race. It's really anti-driving. Then at one point, yeah, it's just not what I want to do.
"And of course you can look at it and make a lot of money. Great. But at the end of the day it's not about money any more because this has always been my passion."
Verstappen also said: "I see it like this: You hear it from a lot of sports people when you speak to them about how are you successful. It all starts with actually enjoying what you're doing before you can actually commit to it 100%.
"Now I think I'm committing 100% and I'm still trying, but the way that I am telling myself to give it 100% I think is not very healthy at the moment because I am not enjoying what I'm doing.
"And now people can easily say, 'Yeah, well, you've won so many championships and races and now just because the car is not good you are complaining.' Maybe you can see it like that, but I see it different."
Max Verstappen recently spoke to Dutch publication De Telegraaf and was asked if he would consider a sabbatical. Verstappen said: “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.”
Has Audi F1 boss Mattia Binotto spoken out about Max Verstappen?
According to reports Audi F1 boss Mattia Binotto was asked if he was pursuing Max Verstappen and said: “No, we are not. I'm not.”
“And the reason why is I think we are not yet ready for it as a team. If Max would join, you need to offer him a platform which is a proper platform where he can fight for victories.”
“Maybe it will be even not required in the future, because I'm so happy at the moment with the drivers we've got, and let's see what will be our future. But at the moment, we've got long-term contracts with our drivers. I'm happy with the current situation.”
Who is Max Verstappen’s partner Kelly Piquet, do they have kids?
Max Verstappen has been in a relationship with Kelly Piquet since 2020. In May 2025 he announced the birth of their first child together on Instagram and wrote: “Welcome to the world, sweet Lily 🌸 Our hearts are fuller than ever - you are our greatest gift. We love you so much 💗.”
A day ago Kelly Piquet took to Instagram and wrote: “A few weeks ago we celebrated our sweet Lily’s 1st birthday in the most whimsical setting 🌸 Seeing our daughter grow has been one the greatest joys in life 🥹 please slow down time 🤍
“Special thank you to @estudiomatre for the visuals, bespoke plates, table cloth and souvenirs; @thekingcake for the incredible sweets; @carolinacake for the cake and @emmanuelle_marty for the beautiful pics 💗.”
Kelly Piquet also has a daughter Penelope from a relationship with F1 driver Daniil Kvyat, she gave birth in July 2019. In November last year, Kelly Piquet shared a photograph of herself with Max Verstappen on Instagram and wrote: “There aren’t enough slides to fit all the best moments from the last 5 years. So here’s our most recent one — sharing one of our favourite meals, at our happiest, and dreaming of the next 50 ❤️ @maxverstappen1 #HappyAnniversary.”