As focus turns back to Formula 1’s return in Miami, there will also be particular attention on Max Verstappen after his revelation a month ago that he’s considering his future in the sport.

Verstappen has been vocal in his criticism of F1’s new 2026 regulations, which has led to a different style of driving and racing, while Red Bull have been unable to fight at the front of the field.

During the five-week gap between the last race in Japan and this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, F1 have tweaked the power unit regulations to address some of the drivers’ concerns, including Verstappen’s.

Also this month, Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase surprisingly revealed he will leave Red Bull to join McLaren by 2028 at the latest.

Verstappen would have known about the news before the announcement but it is an extra element to consider and the Dutchman will no doubt be quizzed on the latest over his future during media day on Thursday in Miami and the performance of Red Bull’s car this weekend could be a telling sign too.

Will Lambiase departure impact Verstappen’s decision?

Verstappen previously stated after winning his maiden 2021 world title that he would stop racing in F1 if Lambiase was not his engineer.

Of course, circumstances can change but the marriage-like relationship Verstappen and Lambiase have will be incredibly difficult to replicate.

Red Bull say Lambiase will be with the team until the end of 2027 but McLaren are pushing to sign the 45-year-old earlier. Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull expires after the 2028 season but Sky Sports News understands there are performance clauses which would allow him to depart earlier.

Team principal Laurent Mekies said: “We speak pretty much daily with Max. He was fully aware of the full extent of the discussions we were having with GP [Lambiase]. A, because of his own relationship with GP and B, because we are an open book.

“We often say Max is not outside of the project, judging the project. He’s inside with us. He was here yesterday, he was here the day before at the simulator.

“And so, on that front, he understands extremely well that we have done a long cycle together. We have a massive reservoir of talents in the team, and we have every opportunity to make that a chance to go to an even stronger level.”

Lambiase is the latest key Red Bull figure to leave the Milton Keynes-based outfit in recent years in a list that includes legendary designer Adrian Newey, long-serving team principal Christian Horner, advisor Helmut Marko, now McLaren technical director Rob Marshall and former head of strategy Will Courtenay, who has also joined McLaren as sporting director.

The big question for Verstappen is how he feels about another significant member, and perhaps the most important yet to him, moving on from Red Bull.

Will F1 regulation changes be enough to satisfy Verstappen?

According to Verstappen, the regulations are the most important factor when it comes to his future, and Miami will give some strong clues over F1 has done enough.

“I would say the same if I would be winning races, because I care about the racing product. It’s not about being upset of where I am, because I’m actually fighting even more now, of course,” said Verstappen following his retirement from the second round of the season in China.

“So you get to understand what you have to do and what it is about even more. For me, it’s really a joke.”

Verstappen, and other drivers, felt they could no longer push to the limit in qualifying and some were unhappy with the yoyo style of racing which is largely determined by deployment levels.

Formula 1 and the FIA have held a series of meetings with the teams this month and they have agreed to change elements of the power unit rules to have “more consistent flat-out driving”.

Mekies said: “The Max we see is a fully committed Max. He wants a fast car and he’s helping the team getting a fast car.

“He’s bringing all his energy to that. He’s passionate about the sport. As you said, he raised his voice when he felt things needed to be done.

“We have a step forward for the regs in coming for Miami. He’s embracing that. Will it be enough? We have time to see together if it’s going to be enough or not.”

Not only is there a 57-lap Grand Prix on Sunday, but a 19-lap Sprint on Saturday in Miami will show if we see the same type of racing that played out in the opening three rounds.

Brundle: Verstappen wants to see how Red Bull car goes

Red Bull will be among several teams bringing major upgrades to Miami as they look to bridge their significant deficit to Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren.

Verstappen finished 32 seconds behind race-winner Kimi Antonelli, although a mid-race Safety Car means the gap between the leading Mercedes and Red Bull would likely have been over a minute had the race been held under green flag conditions in its entirety.

“Max has made it quite clear he wants to see how the car goes. The power unit has been pretty impressive, so the car itself been struggling a bit,” said Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle.

“Max will want to see through the mid-season that they on top of these regulations, they’re on top of the car.”

Despite building their own power unit for the first time, the Red Bull Ford engine has been competitive but it’s the aerodynamics and chassis are the current weaknesses.

Verstappen ran new sidepods, floor and engine cover to the last race in Japan but he was outqualified by team-mate Isack Hadjar, suggesting the upgrades did not work.

Since the middle of 2024, Red Bull were generally outdeveloped by McLaren but suddenly found something towards the end of last year which enabled Verstappen to almost pip Lando Norris to the drivers’ title.

The team will need to prove to Verstappen they can find a similar trajectory this season, or the frustration will only increase for their star driver.

Mekies said: “We are conscious that the priority is that we give him a car he can push with. And this has not much to do with the regs. We knew we gave him and Isack a very difficult car in the first three races. And we need to give him a car he can consistently push with.

“Then after, it doesn’t mean that it will be fast enough for positions, but it means he can start to bring his Max effect and we can start to build development onto that car.

“And I have every confidence that things may not be fixed for Miami, but that the team is going to get to the bottom of what is limiting us in the same way than they have done last year, and that you will see more and more smile on Max’s face.”

Formula 1 returns this Friday with the Miami Grand Prix, the season’s second Sprint weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime