“Sometimes it will be too much.”

(Motorsport-Total.com) — By winning his first world title in Abu Dhabi 2021, Max Verstappen has achieved his major career goal in Formula 1. The record of seven world championships, currently held by Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, appears to exasperate him to a limited extent. Because in a critically acclaimed interview with ‘Sky’, Verstappen has now spoken publicly for the first time that he could end his Grand Prix career after his current contract with Red Bull expires. (AD: Get up close with WOW at the Monaco Grand Prix, from the first free practice session to the awards ceremony, with all Sky interviews!)

The reasons for this are varied. Verstappen is a family man and loves spending time with his partner Kelly Piquet and their daughter (who coincidentally comes from a previous relationship with Daniel Kwjat). His horizon is not limited to Formula 1, but the 25-year-old would also like to try another motorsport series.

When asked if he could reassure his fans that he would continue to drive Formula 1 after his Red Bull contract expires in 2028, Verstappen replied: “I love racing. Otherwise I wouldn’t drive other things at home on the simulator. But that’s exactly the point: me too I like other forms of motorsport, not just Formula 1.”

At the end of 2028, Verstappen will have 14 years of Formula 1 ahead of him

Verstappen was just 17 years old when he entered Formula 1 in 2015 with Toro Rosso (today: AlphaTauri). Back in 2016, he was promoted to the Red Bull team mid-season (replacing Kvyat, father-in-law, by the way) – winning his first race in Barcelona. The rest is history.

At 25 years old, Verstappen is still young for a two-time Formula 1 World Champion. On the other hand, he already has 168 Grand Prix under his belt. Among the active drivers, Fernando Alonso (362), Lewis Hamilton (315), Sergio Perez (240), Valtteri Bottas (205) and Nico Hulkenberg (185) have participated in more races.

An increasingly tight Formula 1 calendar with up to 24 races (which is already planned for 2023) goes Verstappen assured: “On the one hand, I’m very ambitious and I want to win. But if you can’t fully motivate yourself, for everyone to fly In racing, that’s the point where you have to ask yourself, do you really want to keep going?”

Verstappen sees a life for himself without Formula 1

The idea of ​​continuing to do motorsport, but with a different work-life balance in Formula 1, appeals to him: “I love Le Mans, I love the other 24-hour races. I love GT3 cars at the Nordschleife. I want to do all of that someday in my life, not When I’m 40 or 50 years old.”

“Because I’m no longer at my peak. At 31, I’m sure I’ll still be able to do great things. We’ll see,” says Verstappen.

At the same time, Verstappen does not hide the fact that it will be “very difficult” for him to quit Formula 1 at the end of 2028 if Red Bull is still the measure of all things and there is a chance of winning more world titles: “It also depends a little on how well we can The competition is in 2028. There are a lot of question marks.”

But: “At that age, I no longer wanted to travel to 25 races a year and keep traveling to England to sit in the simulator or constantly perform somewhere. At some point it would be too much. I started driving when I was four years old and it was I’m half a year old, when I’m seven at a competitive level. At some point, it’s enough to be away from home for a good part of the year.”