Max Verstappen has spoken honestly about his future (Image: Sky Sports)
Red Bull has a contract with three-time world champion Max Verstappen until December 2028, but there is no assurance that he will stay in Formula 1 after that time.
Max Verstappen believes there are “so many more things in life than Formula 1” – sparking rumours of a shock exit from the sport.
The 26-year-old has won three consecutive world titles to be put his name in the history books. The Red Bull driver has dominated this year’s championship by winning 17 of the 20 races so far, with Sergio Perez (two) and Carlos Sainz sharing the other victories.
Max Verstappen is the big favourite to win next year’s F1 title and is still young enough to become the sport’s most successful ever driver. Lewis Hamilton, who is still competing, and Michael Schumacher share the record for the most world tiles with seven each.
Yet Verstappen is unsure how long he’ll continue in F1 for. He remains under contract with Red Bull until at least December 2028 but insists he’s already “very happy” with what he’s achieved in F1 and won’t be afraid to explore his options when the time comes.
Verstappen spoke about his future in a wide-ranging interview with TIME Magazine. He was asked whether he would like to become the most successful driver in the history of F1. He replied: “Would I like to win seven? Yeah, why not?”
But the superstar continued: “Even if I don’t win seven, I know that there’s still so many more things in life than F1. I’m already very happy with what I have achieved… at one point you have to outweigh the success against just general quality of life.”
Verstappen also revealed the strain of spending his life on the road. He added: “I feel like I’m living out of a bag, out of a hotel, all the time. At the moment that’s fine. I love driving. I love winning. But the older you get, maybe one day that’s not anymore what I want.”
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As Verstappen suggests, the F1 calendar is demanding. This year’s 22-race campaign started in Bahrain in March and will end in Abu Dhabi later this month. Races are held across the world in counties such as Azerbaijan, the United States, Japan and Italy.
Verstappen, who is the son of former driver Jos, started his F1 career as a 17-year-old in 2015 with Red Bull’s second team, Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri). He was promoted to Red Bull’s main team in 2016 and won his first race at that year’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen picked up several wins and podiums over the next few years before becoming a title contender in 2021. He won his first world title that year after a controversial decision by race director Michael Masi at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
