24/07/2025 10:10
Max Verstappen has indicated that when he loses his "hunger to win"
and enjoyment of working with a team, he will retire from F1.
Verstappen's short and long-term futures both within Red Bull and
F1 have been called into question recently, with his current
contract due to expire in 2028. Talks of a potential move to
Mercedes for 2026 appear to be over after Toto Wolff put all of his
attention on George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, whilst the Dutchman
has voiced his displeasure with various aspects of F1 in the past
few seasons, leading to claims he could walk away from grand prix
racing after '28. However, Verstappen, who will be 31 at the end of
his deal, has indicated that he could go on longer into his
mid-to-late 30s, but it depends on how much he is enjoying grand
prix racing. "People sometimes hang around maybe to create more
money, but at the end of the day, that doesn't come first,"
Verstappen told The Athletic. " It's important you're here because
of the hunger to win. Some people come here to just get the best
out of their car because some don't have a winning car. "But that's
why I think as long as I can do that, and I'm working with the
people that I enjoy working with, then, yeah, we'll [continue to]
drive. "I don't know when that will stop. Is that 32? Is that 35?
36? I don't know. It's impossible to know." Verstappen has
undergone a major change in his life away from the track, becoming
a father for the first time in May 2025, after the birth of his
daughter Lilly with partner Kelly Piquet. The four-time champion
conceded that he is starting to miss family time due to his job.
"I feel like I'm already missing out so much on just being with my
family," he said. "I spend holidays with them, but I really miss
the moments of just casually rocking up for a weekend or just
hanging out on the couch, sitting together on a lazy day, or just
after a normal work day. "We live quite far apart now, so these
kinds of moments are not possible with my life. I hope one day that
it can go back to that."
