Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen has hinted at what’ll keep him in Formula 1 beyond 2028, when his current Red Bull contract expires.
Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix winner has expressed over recent months that he could walk away from F1 when his lucrative contract expires, despite the fact he’d be just 31 years old.
Verstappen has openly admitted that he wants to compete in other championships whilst he’s still in his prime, with the Dutchman having also become frustrated by F1 continuing to change the format.
The 25-year-old has been the biggest critic of the sprint format, which was introduced in 2021, with him wanting the championship to purely stick to its traditional format.
Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies
Regardless of the sport’s weekend format, Verstappen is keen to race elsewhere, with him having admitted that he loves the Le Mans 24 Hours.
“I love Le Mans, I love other 24-hour races, I love GT3 cars on the Nordschleife. I want to do all of that one day in my life, and not when I’m 40 or 50,” Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.
“Because then I’m no longer at the peak of my performance. At 31, I’m pretty sure I’ll still be able to do great things. We’ll see.”
It’s not just the sport’s format which is starting to frustrate Verstappen, with the two-time World Champion also becoming unhappy at how much travelling is necessary in F1.
The F1 calendar has grown steadily over recent years, with 2023 having been scheduled to have 23 races prior to the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
For reference, when Verstappen made his debut in 2015, the calendar consisted of just 19 races, four less than were originally scheduled for this season.
With the added races more often than not being overseas rather than in Europe, the travelling demand on the drivers and the entire paddock has significantly increased.
It wouldn’t be a surprise either for the calendar to further increase in the near future, with Verstappen being completely against travelling to “25 races a year” when his contract reaches its close.
“At that age, I no longer want to travel to 25 races a year and keep flying to England to sit in the simulator or constantly perform somewhere,” Verstappen added.
READ: Toto Wolff breaks silence on Ferrari pressure as Lewis Hamilton stalls contract
“At some point it will be too much. I started driving when I was four and a half years old, when I was seven at a competitive level.
“At some point, being away from home for so much of the year is enough.”
The message from Verstappen to the FIA and Formula 1 is seemingly clear should the governing body want the Dutch driver to stay in the sport beyond 2028; reduce the calendar and stick to the traditional format.