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Max Verstappen Talks About His Future in F1 and Retiring: “Maybe I'll Stop in 2028”

Max Verstappen won his first World Championship last year and he’s currently in the first spot for this year’s season, too. But when it comes to his future, the Red Bull racing driver is not ruling out retiring after his contract expires in 2028.
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Photo: Instagram / Max Verstappen
Max VerstappenMax VerstappenMax VerstappenMax VerstappenMax Verstappen
Max Verstappen has had some great seasons in the last few years, but, despite his success, he doesn’t want to keep racing if he’s not there to win.

He made his debut at the age of 17 and won his first World Championship at 24. In a new interview with Telegraaf, the Red Bull racing driver is weighing in on his future in the sport.

The Belgian-Dutch driver is on his eighth season, and his current Red Bull contract will expire in 2028, when he will be 31 years old. "Maybe I'll stop," says Verstappen. "By that time, I'll have been driving around in Formula 1 for a while. It depends a bit on whether the car is good, and I still participate in the prizes.

He continued: “I can't stand having to drive behind everyone in the laps. I'd rather drive in a different class. But right now I really wouldn't want to ride for any other team. So, if you feel good about something and it works, why change?

The Dutch ended Lewis Hamilton’s four-year reign as a World Champion last year, and he’s planning to defend his crown this season, too. He’s currently in the first spot, with 181 points, followed by his Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez, with 147 points.

Verstappen told the outlet that he would like to compete in long-distance racing in the future: “There is less pressure there, more fun. That might even be possible during my Formula 1 career. But not this year or the next, maybe after. The 24-hour races seem like something to me: Le Mans, Spa-Francorchamps, Daytona and the 12 hours of Sebring. Or the one in Bathurst, Australia. Well, in a GT3 car. I have already won that race twice in the simulator.

Max doesn’t think he’ll be following in his father Jos Verstappen’s footsteps when it comes to rallying: “I like to get in that car every now and then for fun, but I don't compete. I think it's too dangerous. And driving with a co-pilot doesn't seem great to me either. I'd rather just be on my own."
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Editor's note: Article includes quotes from Dutch translated via Google Translate.

About the author: Monica Coman
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Imagine a Wenn diagram for cars and celebrities. At the intersection you'll find Monica, putting her passion for these fields and English-Spanish double major to work. She's been doing for the past seven years, most recently at autoevolution.
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