- Max Verstappen has hinted at a potential retirement from Formula One
- The Red Bull star recently claimed his third consecutive world championship
- But Verstappen explained the strains placed on drivers travelling the world
Max Verstappen has sensationally hinted at potentially retiring from Formula One at the end of his Red Bull contract after revealing the personal strains racing places on drivers.
The 26-year-old was recently crowned F1 world champion for the third consecutive year as Red Bull’s dominance over the rest of the grid reigned supreme.
Verstappen’s existing contract at Red Bull runs until December 2028 by which time he could have potentially secured five more titles and established as the sport’s greatest driver of all time.
However, the Dutchman explained that he already has one eye on the future and claimed in a recent interview with TIME Magazine that there are ‘so many more things in life than F1.’
Discussing his ambitions to go one better than Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher’s seven world championships, Verstappen explained: ‘Would I like to win seven? Yeah, why not?’
‘Even if I don’t win seven, I know that there’s still so many more things in life than F1.
‘I’m already very happy with what I have achieved… at one point you have to outweigh the success against just general quality of life.’
‘I feel like I’m living out of a bag, out of a hotel, all the time. At the moment that’s fine. I love driving. I love winning. But the older you get, maybe one day that’s not anymore what I want.’
Verstappen is already the favourite for next year’s F1 season given Red Bull’s brilliance that has seen the garage win 19 out of 20 races this year.
The Dutch star has single-handedly won 17 of the 19 races and is expected to continue his outstanding form next season with other teams struggling to match Red Bull’s improvements.
Should he retire then Verstappen could follow in a similar path to Nico Rosberg who left the sport in 2016 just five days after winning his first world championship with Mercedes.
Rosberg has forged a post-racing career in punditry, however, Verstappen might be angling for some time out of the limelight given his global superstar reputation.
