“I Definitely Won’t Be Here”: Max Verstappen Hints at Early F1 Exit After Nothing Remains to Achieve

Max Verstappen has been clear about his future in F1, hinting at an early retirement several times. He reiterated the same in an interview with Sky Sports F1 in Miami. When Danica Patrick asked him if the goalposts are shifting for him in F1 in the long term, Verstappen expressed how he won’t be racing in F1 till he is 40 like many others have.

The Dutchman said, “I want to do all different kinds of racing outside of Formula 1, at one point. So, I definitely won’t be here until I am 40 years old”.

Verstappen mentioned how he has “achieved already everything that I wanted to achieve in the sport”. The three-time champion is already on course to claim his four consecutive championships in 2024.

In the past two years, the Red Bull driver has broken multiple records in terms of wins and championship points. So, it seems natural that Verstappen craves a different challenge beyond F1.

Besides, the 26-year-old doesn’t wish to emulate the longevity shown by Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. The latter recently signed another multi-year contract with Aston Martin, which will make him race in F1 till he is 45!

Fernando Alonso has renewed his contract with Aston Martin, but will it really be his last? #F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/YCQc4wNESf

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 18, 2024

However, back in the day, even Alonso and Hamilton were singing similar tunes to the Dutchman. Both had expressed their wish to not stay in F1 till their 40s. Cut to 2024, the reality has turned out quite different for them.

However, Verstappen has other plans and aspirations too beyond F1.

Max Verstappen’s non-F1 aspirations

Max Verstappen is a racer at heart and he craves racing in every category, not just Formula 1. He has explicitly mentioned his desire to compete in the Endurance racing categories including GT3 and HyperCar.

The Dutchman had floated an idea of pairing up with Fernando Alonso for driving at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Verstappen thought it could be a dream team and even Alonso did not reject this proposal.

The 26-year-old’s current contract with Red Bull runs till 2028. So, after that, the WEC series could be his next stop, as he may retire from F1. Verstappen has also mentioned his plans to set up a GT3 team for the development of young talent in motorsport.