Young Version of Max Verstappen Confutes 2-Time World Champion’s Current Take on F1 Retirement

Max Verstappen is the most dominant driver in F1 at the moment, having won both the 2021 and 2022 titles. Currently, he is the favorite to retain his crown once again, with Red Bull’s humongous pace advantage playing to Verstappen’s strengths.

Nevertheless, at times it seems as though the Dutchman is bored of F1, and has dropped hints about retiring from the sport. After winning the 2021 title, he insisted that his dreams were achieved. Anything else he would win in F1 after that, he would be treating it as an added bonus. Of course, he followed it up with a dominant title win last year, and will likely secure another crown in 2023.

Seeing the sport change around him, and having achieved whatever he wanted to, Verstappen is adamant he won’t be racing when he’s old. His current deal with Red Bull expires at the end of the 2028 season. Verstappen will be 31 years old then, and he considers it a good time to retire.

However, a young 19-year-old Max Verstappen would disagree with what his older self is saying currently.

Max Verstappen wanted to race until he couldn’t anymore

In a recently surfaced video on Facebook, Verstappen appears for an interview series with Exact, called Inside the Workshop. This interview is six years old, at a time when Verstappen was just 19, and establishing himself as a star of the future.

The host of the show asks Verstappen what he would do when he finally won the world championship. As expected, the Red Bull ace admits that it would be a dream for him to win the title, something he has worked for his whole life. However, the difference lies in the fact that he promises never to stop.

Verstappen insists that after winning the first title, he would come back and fight every single year to win as many championships as possible.

“Well of course, that would be an amazing moment,” Verstappen says. “And then you try to achieve it again. Until you are old enough to stop.”

Verstappen to race as long as Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso?

Verstappen is currently 25 years old, and has a long way to go before age catches up to him. In his interview from six years ago, he says that he won’t stop racing until he’s ‘old enough to stop.’ This contradicts what the Dutch lion says today.

Today, Verstappen is sure that he won’t want to race in F1 when he’s old like Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Whether he stays true to his words as a 19-year-old or changes his mind in the future, is yet to be seen.