Max Verstappen hinted he might walk away from Formula One earlier than anticipated if the sport's governing body takes away the enjoyment and freedom he values.
The Red Bull triple world champion was handed a "public interest" penalty by the FIA after using a swear word during a news conference at last Thursday's Singapore Grand Prix.
Describing the punishment as "super-silly" on Sunday, the Dutchman kept his answers short in FIA press briefings and opted to speak with reporters in a more informal paddock media gathering instead.
He did the same after finishing second in the race behind McLaren rival Lando Norris, using the opportunity to explain further why he felt so strongly about the penalty.
"These kinds of things definitely decide my future as well," he said. "When you can't be yourself or you have to deal with these kinds of silly things.
"I think now I'm at the stage of my career where you don't want to be dealing with this all the time.
"It's really tiring. Of course, it's great to have success and win races, but once you have accomplished all that – winning championships and races – then you want to just have a good time as well."
Verstappen has previously spoken about retiring from Formula One while still comparatively young, emphasizing that he would not continue as long as the likes of Lewis Hamilton, 39, and Fernando Alonso, 43.
"If you have to deal with all these kinds of silly things, for me, that is not a way of continuing in the sport, that's for sure," said the 26-year-old.
Asked if the FIA might relent if they were told they risked pushing a multiple world champion out of the sport, Verstappen doubted they would take it very seriously.
"For me, of course, at one point, when it's enough, it's enough. And we'll see. I mean, like I said, racing will go on," he added.
"F1 will go on without me. It's not a problem. But it's also not a problem for me."
Verstappen said he felt he was being prevented from being authentic.
"If you can't really be yourself – like to the fullest – then it's better not to speak," he said. "That's what no one wants, because then you become a robot, and that is not how you should go about it in the sport."
