2016 F1 champion Nico Rosberg has recently showered praise on reigning Drivers’ Champion Max Verstappen. The German believes that the Dutchman is one of the best drivers of all time alongside Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, and Lewis Hamilton. However, as Verstappen continues to achieve more and more glory, Rosberg has made some bold remarks about the 25-year-old’s future in the sport.
Rosberg believes that because of the grueling nature of battles that Verstappen has recently had with Hamilton, the pressure is likely getting too much for the Dutchman to handle. Hence, the former Mercedes driver believes that it is this reason why Verstappen has often hinted about retiring early.
Rosberg believes Verstappen began contemplating retirement while he was battling Hamilton
In an interview with Sky Sports F1 (as quoted by racingnews365.com), Nico Rosberg explained how he views Max Verstappen’s repeated remarks about retiring sooner than most. The Dutchman has often stated that he may not continue in F1 beyond the 2028 season, the year his contract with Red Bull ends.
Since the 25-year-old has repeatedly made similar remarks, Rosberg stated, “That talk from him (Verstappen) [possibly retiring] started in the year when he battled Hamilton, where he said ‘I won’t go on for very long if every year is like that’. Those battles are so fierce and intense, it takes a lot of the fun away as well“.
After making these remarks, Rosberg stated that while he cannot put himself in Verstappen‘s shoes, he does not believe that the Dutchman has much left to prove. The German believes that in terms of record, the Red Bull driver has already cemented his legacy as “one of the best of all time“.
What has Max Verstappen said about his F1 future?
Even though Max Verstappen earns a whopping salary of $55 million annually from Red Bull, the Dutchman has still questioned whether being an F1 driver means that one is living a “good life“. The 25-year-old stated that while he has no complaints about winning or the salary that he earns, he did state that at times he feels that it gets a bit too much.
As quoted by Autosport a few months ago, Verstappen said, “Is it (being an F1 driver) actually a good life? I think sometimes you get to a point in your career where maybe you want to do other stuff“. The Red Bull driver then stated that he would be open to trying other forms of racing such as Le Mans.
The only form of racing that he ruled out was IndyCar because he believes it is too dangerous. Considering that Verstappen has made such remarks often, it remains to be seen how long he continue staying in F1.
