Aged 24, with 24 wins and 65 podiums to his name, Max Verstappen has a long way to go in Formula 1. Signing a new deal with Red Bull, Max will stay with the team until the end of 2028. By then he will be 31 and would have the opportunity to go for further glory. However, the Dutchman hinted that he hadn’t thought about life after 2028 and that even retirement could be on the card. 

In an interview, Verstappen delved into what he would potentially do after his contract expires. Many former Formula 1 drivers after retirement go on to become consultants or analysts for media outlets, magazines, and more. As it seems, this wouldn’t be the case for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Fans won’t be seeing Max Verstappen in the F1 Paddock

In the interview, the reigning world champion insisted that fans won’t see him in Formula 1 if he decides to retire. Although he has many more seasons left in him, Max believes that he wouldn’t be interested in returning to the paddock. “You will not see me again as an analyst or in a team role. Not really”, insists the Red Bull driver. 

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“I don’t have the motivation for that. When I don’t drive anymore, I want to do other fun things.”

Max Verstappen’s father also agrees with Max’s point of view. Jos Verstappen said, “Your whole life now revolves around racing. Formula 1 and you name it. Now it’s a must, in a way. At a certain point you are done with that.” (translated using Google)

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Given that Jos Verstappen is into rallying these days and seems to be doing well, Max believes that he would want to do it for fun. He explained that if he participates in something, he wishes to win it as well. 

Verstappen explains his ambition after Formula 1

Coming back to his retirement plans, it seems like Verstappen is a long way off. Entering the sport aged 17 with Toro Rosso in 2015, he quickly established himself as a driver. The Dutchman out-qualified teammate Carlos Sainz a total of nine times in the nineteen races that season. Since his move to Red Bull in 2016, Max has grown as a driver but also grown his silverware count. 

“I have been in Formula 1 since I was 17. It has been a long time,” said Max. “I have done a lot of seasons in F1. I may want to do different stuff. By 31, I don’t know whether I will have peaked or where the drop-off in performance may have occurred.”

The Red Bull driver expanded that he might be interested in doing other races such as endurance racing, for example. He even mentioned that after all the travel, he might wish to have an easier life and only do the races he likes.