Red Bull Team Principal Discusses Verstappen's Possible Retirement

Thursday, 04 January 2024 at 02:00

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner shared his opinion on Max Verstappen's possible retirement in a few years.

The triple World Champion hinted in the past he might not stay in F1 for too long, especially if it keeps evolving the way it is right now.

The Dutchman is not a fan of all the marketing responsibilities and the show around the sport. That was one of the main reasons why he was also critical of the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Moreover, the 26-year-old has other goals in life beyond F1. He loves racing, no matter if it's F1, go-karts, or Sim racing, and so he also wants to compete in other series.

Verstappen recently shared that his dream is to have his own racing team. This is a goal in which he already started working, as he recently explained.

Read also

Horner Backs Verstappen's Bluntness: 'They're Not Robots, They Have Opinions'

With many future plans already in his mind, it isn't clear how long the Dutchman plans to continue racing in Formula One. His team principal, Christian Horner, told racefans.net:

"Who knows? I mean, at 26, obviously, he’s still got quite a few years left in him. But he’ll go as long as he wants to, and his motivation is there."

Fernando Alonso, who is currently the oldest driver on the grid, is 42 at the moment - an incredible 16 years older than Max Verstappen.

As mentioned lately by a former F1 driver Karun Chandhok, the Spaniard still shows the energy of a 22-year-old, which shows it is possible to compete professionally even at his age.

While Horner doesn't believe Verstappen would stay in F1 for as long as Alonso, he suggested the Dutchman has many years left to make that decision.

"I think he’s very strong in his own mind. I don’t think he’ll be driving when he’s 42 in F1. But that’s 18 years away or 16 years away from where he is now. So I think he’s going to take things one season at a time."