Verstappen recently signed a contract extension that will keep him with Red Bull until at least the end of 2028, when he will turn 30.
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Max Verstappen has discussed his long-term objectives and plans for his career in Formula 1, making it clear that he is “not interested” in breaking the current world title record outright and is already happy with his current accomplishments. Verstappen made his Formula One debut in 2015 at the age of 17, and since then, he has amassed 37 victories, 22 pole positions, 80 podium finishes, and two world championships. His title defence in 2023 is off to a strong start. Verstappen recently signed a contract extension that will keep him with Red Bull until at least the end of 2028, when he will turn 30. Team owner Christian Horner has predicted that Verstappen won’t be continuing to compete into his 40s.
Verstappen was questioned about his current contract before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and whether he believes he will be motivated to add to it when the time comes – with the possibility of several more championships being won between now and then.
“It depends how competitive the car is in that last season as well, and maybe also it depends on the opportunities you have around Formula 1, or what you’re already doing outside of Formula 1 at the time, so at the moment it’s a bit difficult to imagine what’s going to happen past 2028,” he said. “No. I’m not interested in winning seven or eight titles. If you have the car to do so, then great. But even if it doesn’t [happen], I’m happy – I’m already happy, so it’s OK!”
When asked whether he would be interested in taking a break from the sport like Alonso had, the Dutchman said, “It’s difficult to say when you’ve never had a break, right? I will always be on the grid until the end of 2028. I’m still very young, but I always said that I also want to do other kinds of competitions, a bit like what Fernando did.”
“But also, when you have been, let’s say, winning a lot, or at least driving at the front, it needs to be also worth it to come back. Because, if you then come back and you don’t really have a chance of winning, it’s probably even harder to motivate yourself day in, day out, to travel all over the world and not spend time with family, friends and doing other things.”
“I think every person is a bit different. It also depends a bit what you want out of your life. Some people just love racing and that’s the only thing they know or want to do. I’m probably a bit more in the middle. I do love racing but I also want to do other kinds of racing. Endurance, eventually. Even if it’s not with my dad, we’ll see. I also have the passion of maybe setting up my own team and stuff, so there’s a lot of things I would like to do outside of just driving myself,” he concluded
