Max Verstappen has dropped a hint that he could well be contemplating an early retirement from Formula 1 on the back oF winning his second world championship. Verstappen secured back-to-back world titles at the Japanese Grand Prix earlier this month, after dominating on the track once again.
His sixth win in seven races was enough to secure his second world triumph, 10 months on from his dramatic maiden title win at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Verstappen joins an illustrious group of world champions, some of whom he is still competing against today.
His rival and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton continues to compete at the highest level despite being 37-years-old, whilst two-time winner Fernando Alonso has recently extended his stay in F1 aged 40.
Verstappen however has revealed he has no plans to compete for as long as some of his fellow drivers, hinting that he could call time on his career following the end of his current Red Bull contract, which expires in 2028 when he will be 31. Per Sky Sports , he said: "I don't see myself driving until I'm 40 because I want to also do other stuff.
"I'm having a lot of fun with what I'm doing right now and I'm still in F1 for a couple more years... I'm signed until '28. After that, it also depends how everything is going but I will probably try to do a few different kinds of racing because it's important also to try different things."
His world title win this year came a lot less dramatic than his first victory in 2021, which came after he pipped Hamilton on the very final lap of the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. This time around Verstappen has been crowned champion with plenty of time to spare, with four races still left in the schedule.
As a result, the Dutchman has opened up on the difference in feeling when winning both his 2021 and 2022 world titles. He commented: "Yeah, very different emotions. You know, last year, all the way until the last race is probably the worst kind of feeling, going into that last race. But also because at the time, I don't think we were the quickest anymore, so that also doesn't help.
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"And this year, it's just been very, very different in emotions from the start, all the way through the year... Both are, at the end of the day, nice to experience because it's nice also really to have the pressure on and having to perform to your limit every single lap of the race.
"But not for too many years in a row. So, I was very happy with the year we had this time around." After banking the world championship, the Dutchman will now be looking to secure the most wins in a single season. The record is currently held by racing great Michael Schumacher with 13, and Verstappen currently sits one behind on 12 with four races to go.
