Max Verstappen, the current Formula 1 World Champion, has stated that he is “already happy” with his career in the sport and is not interested in chasing after the seven World Championships held by Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher. The Red Bull driver has won the past two titles, including the 2022 season in record-breaking fashion with 15 victories, and is a hot favorite to repeat his success this year.
Although Verstappen has been open about not wanting to continue in Formula 1 later in life, his mega contract extension with Red Bull guarantees his future in the sport until at least the end of the 2028 season. Despite having the opportunity to break many records in the sport, the 25-year-old is not purposefully setting out to do so.
When asked if becoming a record-breaker motivates him, Verstappen responded, “No. I’m not interested in winning seven or eight titles. If you have the car to do so, then great. But even if it doesn’t [happen], I’m happy – I’m already happy, so it’s OK!”.
Verstappen has expressed his desire to take stock of his Formula 1 future when his current contract comes to a close at the end of 2028. Although he will still be at the peak of his powers at that time, he has ambitions beyond Formula 1, such as endurance racing with his father, ex-F1 driver Jos. While Verstappen has confirmed his commitment to his contract’s length, he has not yet announced what he plans to do beyond that.
Verstappen has also discussed the possibility of taking a sabbatical, saying, “It’s difficult to say when you’ve never had a break, right? I will always be on the grid until the end of 2028. I’m still very young, but I always said that I also want to do other kinds of competitions, a bit like what Fernando did.”
He also noted that, after achieving great success in the sport, it would need to be “worth it” for him to come back if he were to take a break, as it would be hard to motivate himself to continue traveling around the world and not spending time with his family and friends.
