Repetitive Title Wins Could Force Max Verstappen Into Retirement: “It is Not Something That Will Keep Me Here”
Vidit Dhawan
|Published
Despite being just 25 years old, Max Verstappen has been dominating Formula 1 for the past few seasons. The Dutchman has already clinched two world championships and is also the favorite to win his third this season. However, with winning seemingly getting normal for him, Verstappen suggests he is now bored.
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The Red Bull driver has stated on several occasions that he is also keen on trying other forms of racing after having been in F1 for the past eight seasons. Considering that Verstappen has already spent 8 seasons despite being just 25, he has already had a remarkable career.
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The Dutchman holds several records to his name, including that of being the youngest racer to compete in F1 when he did so at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix. On that occasion, Verstappen was just 17 years and 166 days old. Despite breaking records time and time again, Verstappen has strangely questioned on several occasions whether winning in F1 means that he is “living a good life“.
Max Verstappen once again contemplates F1 retirement
In his latest interview with Forbes, Max Verstappen has explained how winning two consecutive titles in F1 has changed his perspective towards racing in this sport. He believes that winning is getting normal for him; he does not believe he has anything else to achieve.
“Now that I’ve won two titles, if I wouldn’t have won them, you keep on trying — you keep trying to achieve something like that. Now that I’ve done so, it’s nice and it’s nice to win another one and another one, but basically it’s the same thing. It’s not something that will keep me here forever,” explained Verstappen.
And this is not the first time that Verstappen has contemplated early retirement from F1. In a conversation with Autosport earlier this year, the Dutchman doubted if he is living “a good life” despite reportedly earning a whopping $55 million annually.
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Verstappen remains committed to fulfilling his Red Bull contract
Despite having contemplated retirement on several occasions, Max Verstappen has made it clear that he will fulfill the commitment he made to Red Bull. The Dutchman has signed a contract until the end of the 2028 season, so he would remain in the sport for at least another five years.
And recently, Verstappen also stated that there is a possibility that he may even extend his current deal if he continues to be in a championship-winning car. When asked if he would still be keen to leave F1 at the end of the 2028 season if Red Bull continues to dominate, Verstappen replied (as quoted by Sky Sports F1), “I think it would be very hard to leave, for sure“.
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And even though Verstappen may leave F1 at the end of the 2028 season, he has made it clear that he will not stop racing. The Dutchman has big plans of racing in other forms of motorsport such as Le Mans and other forms of endurance racing.
Hence, only time will tell in what position Verstappen finds himself at the end of the 2028 season, and whether that year will be his last in F1 or not.
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