Max Verstappen has hinted that his punishment for swearing at the FIA ​​press conference on Thursday ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix could see him retire from F1 early.

The reigning world champion was punished by the FIA ​​on Friday after claiming on Thursday that Red Bull had “wrecked” his car in Azerbaijan.

Verstappen has actually been ordered to perform community service by the governing body, with the FIA ​​officially stating that he has an “obligation to perform some work in the public interest”.

After taking second place on Saturday, Verstappen attended the FIA ​​press conference and gave candid answers.

He also stated that he wanted to speak to the media outside, which he did by holding an impromptu press conference in the paddock.

After the race, in which Verstappen also finished second, he was again brief in his press conference and agreed to speak to the press outside for the second day in a row.

Verstappen was asked in an interview with the media whether the FIA’s penalty for swearing could lead to an early retirement.

“Oh, definitely,” Verstappen replied. “I mean, things like this definitely decide my future as well.

“You can’t be yourself, or you have to deal with silly things like this. I think now, I’m at a stage in my career where you don’t want to deal with these things all the time. It’s really tiring.

“Of course, it’s great to have success and win races, but once you’ve achieved all that, won championships and races, you just want to have a good time.

“Of course, everyone is trying their best. Everyone in this fight, even at the end of the net. But if you have to deal with all these silly things, for me, that’s another way [of] not continuing in this sport.”