Written by Alejandra Guajardo Lozano, Edited by Sharifah Zaqreeztrina
Max Verstappen is a Dutch Formula One force of nature from Red Bull Racing. At the short age of 25, he’s already a two-time World Champion and is currently leading the 2023 championship. A fierce and skilled driver, he has everything what it takes to be one of the greatest in the sport. With his contract with Red Bull ending in 2028, he’s been asked if he’s planning on staying in the sport, which brings to a question. Will Verstappen leave sooner than expected?
It’s no secret that Verstappen is not a fan of sprint races. He recently kept up his statement at Baku 2023, even adding it might be a quit factor for him. But it’s not just the Sprints, there are other factors, which mainly include the 23-race calendar which is expected to grow in the future.
"I do like racing, I do like winning. I know that of course the salary and everything, you have a good life, but is it actually a good life? I think sometimes you get to a point in your career where maybe you want to do other stuff” said Verstappen to the reporters in Baku.
"I know that I have a contract until the end of 2028, and then we'll review again. But I do feel that if it's getting at one point too much, then it's time for a change. I think you always have to be talking to yourself and looking at yourself [asking] 'are you still very motivated and do you love what you do?”
As it is known, Verstappen joined Formula One in 2015, immediately showing his raw talent and dedication, earning a seat in Red Bull Racing alongside Daniel Ricciardo. In 2018, the Netflix docuseries ‘Formula One: Drive To Survive’ was launched. Besides diving into the behind-the-scenes of the F1 realm, the series also showcases the personal lives of the drivers. While this results in several drivers getting a good image, unfortunately Verstappen wasn’t one of those. He was portrayed as an impulsive and aggressive person. Due to this, he was given the title of “The Villain of Formula One''. He refused to give interviews to Netflix after a few seasons because he thought it faked rivalries and exaggerated incidents.
“I’m quite a down-to-earth guy, and I just want it to be facts, don’t hype it up,” Verstappen stated,
“I understand of course it needs to be like that for Netflix. It’s just not my thing.”
Verstappen has said he’s currently happy in F1 but would like to participate in other racing categories, especially endurance racing.
“Some people just love racing and that's the only thing they know and the only thing they want to do,” he claimed.
“I am probably a bit more in the middle. I mean, I do love racing. But I also want to do other kinds of racing. And then you can't combine the two or set up other kinds of stuff.”
This might give him the chance to partner up with his father, Jos, a former F1 driver. Verstappen also added that he’s interested in having his own team. When asked if his dad would still be young enough to race with him in endurance racing in the future, Verstappen replied,
“I keep telling him that time is ticking, and he is getting older. But even if it is not with my dad, we will see.
“I also even have the passion of setting up my own team as well. There's a lot of things I would like to do outside of just driving myself.”
Although Verstappen implied that endurance racing might be an option for his future, he made it clear that IndyCar is not.
“I like watching IndyCar,” he said. “I think there are a lot of great drivers in there and also people I raced against, so I have a good connection with them. And I like seeing them do well.
“But me driving the Indy 500? Absolutely not. I might go there and watch but not race.”
Verstappen is the perfect example of talent and hard work, which leads him to being one of the most successful drivers in the sport and with many more years ahead of him. Will he renew his contract or move to another category to leave a whole legacy in Motorsport? What do you think? Make sure to leave your thoughts in the comments.