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Max Verstappen hinted that he might stop racing after his Red Bull contract expires in 2028. When asked what his plans were after his long-term contract with the Austrian team expired, the Dutchman replied that he was more than happy to stay with the team. However, he also said that he might stop racing in F1 altogether after 2028 since he would have been in the sport for 14 years already and might have stopped enjoying it.
He said:
“I’m not planning on changing teams. I’m happy here and they are happy with me. But I haven’t made up my mind what I will do after 2028. I might stop. I have been in Formula 1 since I was 17. It’s been a long time. I’ve done a lot of seasons in F1.”
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He added:
“I may want to do different stuff. By 31, I don’t know whether I will have peaked or where the drop-off in performance may have occurred.”
The reigning world champion also dropped hints of moving on to other racing categories, including endurance racing, which does not require as much travel as F1. Max Verstappen left it slightly open-ended as he said it was difficult to predict what he would be doing so far in the future.
He said:
“I want to do other types of races — endurance racing, for example. Maybe I will have had enough of traveling all the time. Maybe I will want an easier life and just to do the races I like. Whenever an opportunity comes to win a championship, you want to take it. If I’m in a fight in 2028 it may be stupid to suddenly stop. It’s difficult to know.”
Max Verstappen: As a driver you do forget!
Max Verstappen was involved in an intense championship battle with Lewis Hamilton last season. Despite starting out as respectful, their relationship soured as the championship got fiercer. However, the two drivers appear to have a more cordial relationship this season.
He was asked whether he had moved on from it, to which the Dutch driver replied:
“I wouldn’t say you forgive and forget, but as a driver you do forget. What happened in the past you forget and you focus on what’s ahead. We haven’t really talked about last year. It’s in the past.”
Many would have liked to see a second season of their rivalry, however, Mercedes has not produced a championship-worthy car so far this season. Max Verstappen currently sits atop the Driver Standings with 125 points, whereas Lewis Hamilton only has fifty points to his name.
