Max Verstappen has said he has ‘no desire’ to race until the same age as Lewis Hamilton, or Fernando Alonso, and has his eyes on being the fastest now, rather than looking to break Hamilton and Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world championships.
The Dutchman has recently broken Sebastian Vettel and Alberto Ascari’s record of nine consecutive Formula 1 race victories by claiming his 10th in a row at the Italian Grand Prix, and is racing towards his third world championship title at the age of just 25.
Because of his age and success, there has been suggestions that he could put himself into contention to be the most successful F1 driver of all time by chasing down Hamilton and Schumacher’s joint all-time record of seven championships.
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Verstappen is already on 47 race victories, ahead of the likes of Alonso, Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna. Before this season is out, he could even be up to third on the all-time list, ahead of four-time world champion Vettel who sits on 53.
A whole host of records are available for Verstappen if he keeps up his supreme form and Red Bull can continue to provide him with a world-beating car.
However, he has often suggested he could walk away from the sport when his current contract expires in 2028, and has once again reiterated his desire to pursue other interests.
When asked by racefans.net if he could race till the age of Alonso or Hamilton, Verstappen said: “No, absolutely not. No desire.
“No, I have my mind already set on what I want to do also outside of Formula 1. It’s a big passion of mine and I want to make that happen as well.”
Verstappen’s winning mentality
That will certainly be music to the ears of Hamilton, who has recently signed a new contract to stay in the sport until at least the end of 2025, meaning he will still be racing into his 40s.
This means that he will get the opportunity to extend his F1 all-time records of 103 wins, 104 pole positions, and will look to claim his eighth title to become the out-right most successful F1 driver ever.
Indeed, Hamilton hasn’t won a race since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP, partly because of the dominance of Verstappen and his Red Bull team over the past two seasons.
Verstappen is very much focused on the present and winning as many races as he can in 2023, and secure his third consecutive title.
His winning mentality is relentless, and he is always pushing himself and the team to improve together, with the hope that they really can win every race.
“Don’t have a lazy attitude of ‘we are winning, why do we need to improve?’ Because you need to improve. Because if you’re not improving, you’re standing still and you’re going backwards. So I think it’s all about that,” he insisted.
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