Max Verstappen has dropped his clearest hint yet that he may leave Formula 1 after the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.The four-time F1 world champion recovered from 20th on the grid to finish sixth in Melbourne despite his dislike of the new regulations.Mercedes lived up to expectations by securing a one-two at the Australian GPGettyThe Dutchman has called the cars, which are 30kg lighter and fitted with a redesigned power unit, ‘Formula E on steroids’.Verstappen has insisted that the latest era of F1 is not fun to drive as plenty of teams struggled to adapt at the start of the first race.What happened at the Australian Grand Prix?Home favourite Oscar Piastri crashed on his way to the grid before Lights Out, with Isack Hadjar and Valtteri Bottas both retiring early.Nico Hulkenberg then dropped out with a technical issue, while two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso also failed to complete the race.Mercedes converted their one-two from qualifying at Albert Park, but were helped by some more questionable Ferrari strategy.The Prancing Horse failed to pit either Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton under the virtual safety car, which ultimately meant the pair crossed the line in third and fourth. What was Max Verstappen’s reaction?Red Bull’s No.1 driver was far from the only one unhappy with the new regs post-race, which he hopes may force the FIA into action.The 28-year-old also reinforced his stance that he could walk away from motorsports’ elite at the end of his contract in 2028.Leclerc led during the early part of the race but had to settle for thirdGettyRed Bull debuted its in-house power unit in a competitive race for the first timeGetty“I love racing, but you can only take so much,” said Verstappen. “I know that they’re, well, I think they’re willing to listen, the FIA and F1, but I just hope that there is some action because it’s not that I’m the only one saying it – a lot of people are speaking the same.“If it’s drivers, fans, we just want the best for the sport. It’s not that we are critical just to be critical. “We are critical for a reason, we want it to be Formula 1, you know, proper Formula 1 on steroids. “Today, of course, again, that was not the case.”Verstappen, who drained his battery on the formation lap at Albert Park, warned that ‘it’s not little tweaks’ that are needed.“What they should worry about is the rules, just focus on that,” added Verstappen, when he was asked about retirement again. The returning Bottas was among the five drivers who failed to finish in MelbourneGetty“They ask questions, and I give my opinion of what I would like to see and what I think is better for the sport because I do care about it, I do love racing, and I want it to be better than this, right?“So let’s see what we can do. I hope that even during this year, maybe we can come up with some different solutions so it becomes more enjoyable for everyone.”His sentiments were echoed by reigning F1 champion Lando Norris, who was asked if the Albert Park race was too chaotic.The British McLaren star replied: “Way too much. It’s chaos, you’re going to have a big accident, which is a shame. You’re driving and we’re the ones just waiting for something to happen and something to go quite horribly wrong.“That’s not a nice position to be in, but there’s nothing we can really do about that now. It’s a shame, it’s very artificial, depending on what the power unit decides to do and randomly does at times.“You just get overtaken by five cars, or you can just do nothing about it sometimes. There’s nothing we can change about it, so there’s no point in saying any more, but not for me.”Norris started the defence of his F1 crown in disappointing fashion by coming fifthGettyAustralian Grand Prix 2026: Results and finishing grid1. George Russell (Mercedes) – 25pts2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 183. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 154. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 125. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 106. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 87. Oliver Bearman (Haas) – 68. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – 49. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – 210. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 111. Esteban Ocon (Haas)12. Alex Albon (Williams)13. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)14. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)15. Carlos Sainz (Williams)16. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)18. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)DNF. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)DNF. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)DNF. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)DNS. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)DNS. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)