Ready to win his fourth consecutive world championship this weekend in Las Vegas if he finishes ahead of Lando Norris or in the Sprint in Qatar the following weekend, Max Verstappen has warned his fans not to expect this may his career last forever.
Verstappen still insists that everything is just a bonus for him at the moment and he is already actively preparing to race elsewhere or take care of his simulation team to unearth and help young talents.
“I'm not going to do what Fernando (Alonso) did, I can assure you,” declared the Red Bull driver, interviewed a few days before a potential new coronation in F1.
Indeed, like Alonso, Verstappen, 27, made his Formula 1 debut as a teenager. 23 years later, Alonso, now 43, is still on the grid and has signed with Aston Martin for at least two more seasons.
“For me, it's just 'too much' of a good thing,” insists Verstappen. “I love what I do, but I've already achieved what I personally wanted to achieve. Everything else is just a bonus.”
“When you win your eighth or ninth title, it's just more of the same. You become world champion, then world champion, and world champion again. Then your next title is nothing special.”
“I won’t be around long enough to win ten or twelve world titles.”
In fact, Verstappen is under contract with Red Bull until 2028, but the contract contains exit clauses and he admits that several aspects of modern F1 frustrate him.
“In karting, it wasn't so political. We just had fun, and it was about the racing, no less. In Formula 1, it's not just about driving. It was in the past, and it's even worse now.”
Verstappen admits social media is particularly frustrating.
“Everyone sits on the couch and has an opinion. It's kind of stupid. They're better than us, they just don't have a car. That's how they see things. They don't can't do anything, but they know a lot more than us. It's just boring.”
Verstappen is already looking forward to life after retirement from F1 with enthusiasm.
“Of course I have my contract but I'm not going to continue until I'm 40. I also want to do other things, and I'm relaxed about that.”
“I also want to do other types of racing, but we now have 24 Grands Prix a year, which is a lot. If you have the car for it, it's nice to be able to win more titles, but when you look back, later in life, you don't want to say you ran for 40 years.”
“I'm at the peak of my life now, and I don't want to think at 60 about how I could be faster. At some point you become more relaxed.”
“I also want to help young talents who don’t have the chance to start their career like me.”
Verstappen's other great passion is high-level online racing simulation, with his team, Redline.
“I want to find people all over the world and offer them the chance to drive, if they don’t have the budget for it right now.”
“I want to create an online world and give them the chance to move into the real world. I want to invest time in it and make sure it works. I can't stay in Formula 1 forever, so I want to bring it to fruition. 'other projects.'
Max's father Jos confirms that his son is seriously considering the post-F1 future.
“The number of races in Formula 1 is becoming too much for many drivers, including Max. He has always been very outspoken about it.”
“I think that ultimately it takes away the fun. When I started, there were only 16 or 17 races. Now there are 24, and you can feel it in everyone – mechanics included – who are still on the road.”
“Max is away even more because he also has to work on the simulator and engage with sponsors. You can't imagine how often he is away from home.”
Max, for his part, scoffed at the idea of going from Formula 1 to consultant for the sport.
“Look, it's perfectly okay to have your own opinion, because I have one too. I don't always say it, because if I always gave my opinion, we wouldn't be able to air it on television very often. This is why I should never become a commentator.”
“It might be nice for me, but not for others. So I just prefer to go and drink good gin and tonics whenever I feel like it.”
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