Max Verstappen and Nico Hulkenberg are great friends, according to journalist Erik van Haren. After spotting the German heading into the Red Bull camp this past weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix, Haren also explained how the duo could form an unlikely alliance in the future but not just in Formula 1.
Speaking of it, Haren said on the most recent episode of the F1 Nation podcast, “He has a very good connection with the Verstappen camp“. Haren then explained that Hulkenberg probably visited the Red Bull garage because Verstappen has his private jet, and perhaps the German wanted a ride to Monaco.
After stating the same, Haren mentioned that they are such good friends that it would not surprise him to see if the two even teamed up together for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the future. Moreover, with the Dutchman also having revealed his interest in the same, there is a chance that the two can team up together for this historic event sometime in the future.
Max Verstappen is keen to participate in Le Mans in the future
In an interview with Viaplay F1 Talks at the end of the 2022 season, Max Verstappen explained how he is a big fan of endurance racing and he wanted to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As quoted by planetf1.com, the Dutchman stated that he was keen to participate in this event with his father, Jos, sometime in the future.
“He’s getting too old and I want to do it with him,” revealed the Red Bull driver in the interview. However, in case if the 25-year-old is not able to compete with his father at the event, there is a possibility that he could team up with Nico Hulkenberg.
Moreover, the chances of them happening soon are very high as Max Verstappen has repeatedly stated on multiple occasions that he does not plan to stay in F1 for too long. In an interview earlier this year also, he contemplated retirement because of not enjoying the sport much any longer.
Verstappen could retire by the end of the 2025 season
In an interview with Forbes earlier this year, Max Verstappen seemed to suggest that it has become a bit boring for him to keep winning. “Now that I’ve done so (won two titles), it’s nice and it’s nice to win another one and another one, but basically it’s the same thing. It’s not something that will keep me here forever“, explained the Dutchman.
This is not the first time he has made such a statement, having also previously revealed that he is keen on retiring because he does not believe that he is living a “good life” despite earning a whopping $55 million yearly.
With Verstappen having made such statements so often, his biographer, Mark Hughes, believes that the 25-year-old may not even finish his current contract with Red Bull which expires at the end of the 2028 season. Hughes believes that since that is “too long,” there is a chance that Verstappen may retire at the end of the 2025 season. It is fair to say that only time will tell what the future holds for the double-world champion.
