World Champion Max Verstappen hints at quitting F1; 'I may want to do different stuff'

Current F1 World Champion Max Verstappen has dropped a major hint regarding his future in F1 despite signing a long term deal with Red Bull Formula 1 team. The 24-year-old is tied up with his current team until 2028 but is unsure about his next move post F1. Max Verstappen currently leads Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by six points in the F1 drivers standing thanks to podium finishes in the last three races. During the recently concluded Monaco GP, Max Verstappen finished third with teammate Sergio Perez taking first place. 

Will Max Verstappen remain in F1 beyond the current Red Bull contract?

Max Verstappen F1 career started in 2015 when he drove for Red Bull sister team Toro Rosso. At the age of 17 he became the youngest driver to ever race in a Grand Prix. The Dutch driver's current F1 deal with Red Bull is reported to be worth $55 million a year, moving him to level with the figure that Lewis Hamilton is believed to earn at Mercedes. Verstappen said that he is currently happy with the Red Bull F1 team and has no plans to switch teams. Speaking to Dail Mail, Verstappen said, "The plan is to stay here until 2028.I am not planning on changing teams. I am happy here and they are happy with me. But I have not made up my mind what I will do after 2028. I might stop".

He further said, "I may want to do different stuff. By 31, I don’t know whether I will have peaked or where the drop-off in performance may have occurred. I want to do other types of races — endurance racing, for example. Maybe I will have had enough of travelling all the time. Maybe I will want an easier life and just to do the races I like. Whenever an opportunity comes to win a championship, you want to take it. If I am in a fight in 2028 it may be stupid to suddenly stop. It is difficult to know.’

Max Verstappen reflects on 2021 title win

The current F1 World Champion also reflected back at his controversial title win last season when he defeated Lewis Hamilton in the final race of the season at Abu Dhabi. The win had created a lot of controversy with race director Michael Masi later losing his job. Reflecting on the controversial race, Verstappen said, “I wouldn’t say you forgive and forget, but as a driver you do forget. What happened in the past you forget and you focus on what’s ahead. We haven’t really talked about last year. It’s in the past.”