"I won't be here"- Max Verstappen's striking claim about his F1 future surfaces as Osaka is in talks for the 2030 Japanese GP

Reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has taken a rather unexpected stance when asked about his presence at the 2030 Japanese GP, hinting at his possible exit from the sport altogether.

Verstappen forayed into the pinnacle of motorsports in 2015, driving for Red Bull's sister team, the then Scuderia Toro Rosso. He quickly progressed within the paddock and found himself replacing Daniil Kyvat at the Milton Keynes-based outfit in the middle of the 2016 season.

Since then, the three-time WDC and Red Bull have been working together, churning 57 wins and three championships, and will be doing so until Max Verstappen's contract is up for renewal at the end of the 2028 season.

Recently, rumors about Osaka's bid to host the Japanese GP did the rounds in the F1 fraternity. However, the sport, under the ownership of Liberty Media, put a full stop to the speculations with their five-year deal with the Suzuka International Racing Course. Per the agreement, Suzuka will take responsibility for hosting the GPs in Japan until the 2029 season wraps up.

Max Verstappen was questioned about the new venue while addressing talks about a possible F1 race in Osaka. The 26-year-old gave an unexpected reply, putting a question mark on his motorsports future, saying:

"I won't be here then anyway!"

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff drools over Max Verstappen's "spectacular" display at Suzuka

Since the 2024 season came into being, the ensuing drama involving Christian Horner and the female employee who accused the team principal of having "controlling behavior" over her gained massive traction. The controversy has spread so much that a friendly post-Bahrain GP talk between Toto and Jos Verstappen was speculated as the seed of Max's shift to the Silver Arrows.

Moreover, when Wolff was asked whether Verstappen could move to the German outfit, he initially tried to play it down but said, "Anything is possible" while finding his way out. Coming to this day, the Dutchman produced his third pole-to-flag win at the Japanese GP after a dismal DNF due to succumbing to brake failure on Lap 4 at the Australian GP.

Witnessing his reign of supremacy throughout the 53-lap race, Mercedes team principal lauded Max Verstappen's run, saying (via BBC):

"No one is going to catch Max this year. His driving and the car are just spectacular. You can see it by the way he manages the tires. This season is best of the rest."