Max Verstappen has admitted he doesn’t want to walk away from Formula One amid the ongoing engine debacle.

The four-time champion has been the most outspoken critic of the changes, with his dissent fuelling early retirement claims.

Speaking ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, he said: “I don’t want to leave, really. I wish I had a bit more fun, for sure, but I’m also doing other stuff that is a lot of fun. I get to race the Nordschleife.

“I hope, in the coming years, I can do Spa, and hopefully Le Mans, you know. I’m combining stuff to find other stuff that I find really fun as well.

“So I have a lot of distractions at the same time – positive distractions, I would call it – but at the same time it’s a bit conflicting because I don’t really enjoy driving the car, but I do enjoy working with all the people in the team and from the engine department as well.”

Before adding: “So no, I don’t want to leave. But I also hope that it gets better. I’ve had discussions with F1 and the FIA, and I think we are working towards something, and hopefully that will improve everything.

“I hope already for next year we can make a decent improvement. There are a few options that we are discussing.”