“Already achieved everything I wanted,” Max Verstappen drops a hint on his F1 retirement timeline
Max Verstappen's current contract expires at the end of 2028, and he has earlier talked about his plans for an 'early' retirement as well.
Follow Us
Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen will turn 26 at the end of September this year, but he’s already a two-time Formula 1 world champion. His 35 wins in the sport put him sixth in the all-time table, and he’s likely to add to that tally. The next closest driver is Ayrton Senna with 41 wins, then Alain Prost with 51. It seems fairly obvious that he’ll make further progress towards the very top.
If he continues to get competitive cars, Verstappen is a good bet to continue breaking records, and win more championships. However, he’s often hinted that he will retire ‘early’. His current contract expires in 2028 when he will be 31. In his own words, he isn’t keen on racing in F1 until he’s 40 years old. One of the factors contributing to him going for an earlier retirement is the packed schedule. If the Chinese Grand Prix wasn’t canceled, he was set to compete in 24 races this year.
Speaking to CNN, he explained his reasoning (for the early retirement) in detail: “The problem is that we are traveling so much and it’s getting more and more … basically, the question is, ‘Is it worth it to spend so much time away from family and friends by chasing more success? And I mean, I already achieved everything I wanted in Formula One. But I know I have a contract until 2028. I’ll be 31. It’s still pretty young, but like I said, I also want to do different things in life.”
Read More: “It’s a little improvement,” Max Verstappen expects enhanced performance from the RB19
Max Verstappen: Las Vegas GP will be about the ‘craziness’
Formula 1’s popularity in the USA continues to grow, and a testament to this is that there will be three Grands Prix held there in 2023. The most recent addition of the three is the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which will make its ‘debut’ in November. Max Verstappen knows just how popular the sport is becoming in the USA, and that it’s not a ‘very important market’ to F1.
The Dutchman said: “We are growing, the US is a very big country. And I think it’s a very important market to the whole of F1 and I’m very excited, of course, to be racing in three different tracks.” as for what is the most attractive thing about Las Vegas for him, Verstappen felt: “It’s more about just the craziness it brings – like everyone wants to go there. Everyone is expecting a lot. And from my side, I’m just hoping that it’s gonna be an exciting weekend.”
His teammate, Sergio Perez, has earlier said that the Las Vegas GP will be the ‘biggest event on Earth’ in 2023. Guenther Steiner went further, telling KVUE that he thinks it will be the ‘greatest show on Earth ever’. The organizers have made it clear that they intend for it to become the new ‘home’ of Formula 1 in the US. It’s setting up to be quite the weekend. And it’s likely to stay on the calendar for a long time – Clark County commissioners have recognized it as an ‘annual event’ until at least 2032.
In case you missed it:
- “You have to deliver,” Max Verstappen states as he feels no pressure for the upcoming 2023 F1 season
- “A very good, personal relationship,” Daniel Ricciardo discards all rumors about his clash with Max Verstappen with his recent comments
Stay Updated!
Aniket Tripathi
(1002 Articles Published)