Formula 1 is seeing drivers’ careers last much longer in recent years, thanks to the advancement of sport science and conditioning.
Fernando Alonso is set to enter a multi-year contract with Aston Martin despite being 41-years old, while Lewis Hamilton is on the verge of extending his Mercedes contract at 37.
Current world champion Max Verstappen has revealed that it is Alonso’s love for the sport that sees him continue to race at such an advanced age, hinting that he does not share the same passion as the Spaniard.
“He is fast and he’s still very motivated,” he explained.
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“Every time I talk to him, it’s like talking to a 30-year-old who is still in the middle of his career. He loves it, that’s why he’s doing it.”
Verstappen was asked if he sees himself racing in Formula 1 when he reaches Alonso’s age and has brought any hope of fans seeing the Dutchman race in F1 for the foreseeable future crashing down.
“Definitely not! Not in Formula 1, who knows what else,” he claimed.
“But I definitely want to do endurance at some point. Maybe still a few more years, two or three years until I want to do that.”
If the 25-year-old would like to become the greatest F1 driver of all time on a statistical basis, he will have to match the record of seven world championship titles, currently held by Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.
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With Verstappen needing five more titles to even match the record, it seems unlikely that fans will ever see the Dutchman surpass the record of his greatest rival, as it becomes increasingly possible that Verstappen could walk away from F1 when his contract with Red Bull expires in 2028.
The 25-year-old has also suggested that repeating the dominance of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes in the 2010’s is no longer possible due to the introduction of the budget cap and other regulations designed to make the sport more competitive.
With a record breaking 15 wins in 2022, fans will hope that they are able to witness the breath-taking talent of Max Verstappen for a few more years until he chooses to call it a day in Formula 1.