Even After Reaching Pinnacle of F1, Max Verstappen Is Inspired to do Something Like Valentino Rossi

The infamous AD21 incident gave way to the start of one of F1’s most dominant eras, with Max Verstappen winning three titles back-to-back. The Dutchman has broken one record after another while there was little challenge from the rest of the grid. Despite enjoying being one of the most dominant forces in F1, the Dutchman does not plan on staying in the sport for long, as F1 Journaal reports, and has plans similar to those of Moto GP legend Valentino Rossi.

Having been at the pinnacle of Moto GP racing for years, Rossi looked for a fresh challenge, and it came in the form of GT Racing. The Italian hopped off the motorcycle and got behind the steering wheel at the end of 2021 and now races in the GT World Championship for WRT. Verstappen, too, has registered his team in the GT3 championship for 2025 and wants to follow in the footsteps of ‘The Doctor.’

Max Verstappen does not want to continue in F1 for long

In a career decorated with accolades, Max Verstappen recently won his third F1 world championship, equaling legends such as Ayrton Senna and Niki Lauda. Having decimated a few records along the way, the hope from his fans was for him to take the record for most championship wins in history. However, the Dutchman has no plans of chasing the record, as F1 Journaal reports the 26-year-old is eyeing a career switch reciprocating the deeds of Valentino Rossi.

“It would be nice to do like Valentino Rossi , I like to see his races in GT, a category I am interested in because we have entered our own car.”

Verstappen has long said that he would want to explore other categories of motorsports while he is still in his prime. With there being close to no challenge in F1 for him this season, the Dutchman grows weary of the sport and looks for the exit door long before his contract with Red Bull expires.

Verstappen still has a long road to travel with Red Bull, but will he?

Given his performances in 2022, Red Bull decided to capitalize on the opportunity and offer the Dutch driver a contract, which not a lot of drivers receive in their careers. The two parties agreed to sign a contract extension till 2028. However, there is no guarantee that the Dutchman would serve his contract and might opt to leave the team with mutual consent. Furthermore, there are even fewer chances of him signing an extension beyond 2028.

 

Max Verstappen says he could retire at 31 👀

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 21, 2022

The reason behind this would again be Verstappen’s increasing lack of connection with the sport. He wants to explore the various motorsports and try to win the championship in different disciplines to prove he is one of the greatest racecar drivers of all time and not just an accomplished F1 driver.