Reigning world champion Max Verstappen has confirmed once again that he is “seriously thinking” about retiring from Formula 1 in just five years’ time, when his lucrative Red Bull contract expires.
Verstappen’s future post-2028 is something that’s been discussed several times, with the Dutchman having admitted several times that there are other things he wants to do in his life other than race at the pinnacle of motorsport.
Remarkably, if the 25-year-old does decide to quit F1 at the end of 2028, then he’ll retire from the sport at just 31 years old.
By that point, he could be an eight-time world champion, if he wins the championship every year until his contract expires.
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Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko has recently revealed that Verstappen is the sort of person who would leave the sport when his contract expires, should he have “had enough”.
“If Max has had enough after 2028, he will stop,” Marko said.
“He is just the type who can make such a decision.”
The double world champion is against spending his “best years physically just in F1”, with Verstappen being completely against the calendar continuing to expand.
In the Red Bull driver’s eyes, 23 races is simply too much, with it being too demanding for the drivers to keep up with.
He seemingly already knows what he wants to do when he does decide to leave F1, suggesting that he really considering retiring in 2028.
“Yes, I am seriously thinking about it,” Verstappen.
“I know I’m very lucky to drive a Formula 1 car. I can do what I want, but at some point it doesn’t matter. I already have a lot of plans for what I want to do.
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“It’s also about quality of life,” he explained.
“There are other things in life besides Formula 1. I have a contract until 2028 and after that I’ll see.
“I don’t want to spend my best years physically just in Formula 1. With the races multiplying, 23 or 24 a year is far too many.”
Verstappen would still have had a 14-year career in F1 should he retire at the end of 2028 despite his age, with the Dutchman having, of course, made his F1 debut in 2015 at just 17 years old.