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Verstappen still thinking of quitting:'When you can't motivate yourself anymore'

Verstappen still thinking of quitting:'When you can't motivate yourself anymore'

31-05-2023 07:50 Last update: 10:00
51

Cas van de Kleut

Max Verstappen is winning almost everything there is to win in Formula 1. The two-time world champion has the dominant car, and will go full steam ahead with this for his third world title. Still, the Dutchman seems keen to look further into other racing classes once his contract expires.

It is now the ninth season in Formula 1 for the 25-year-old driver. At 17, he is the youngest driver to have ever driven in the king class of motorsport. When he made his debut for Red Bull Racing at 18, he immediately won the race, also making him the youngest winner of all time in Formula 1.

Motivation plays a role

So you could say Verstappen has been active in Formula 1 for a very long time, even though he is currently only 25. Yet the Dutchman tells Sky Sports that he still loves racing very much: "Otherwise I wouldn't be on the simulator at home doing other kinds, but that's the thing, I also like doing other kinds of racing, not only Formula 1. I know that I will be 31 when it's the end of my contract. At that point already I will have been in F1 a very long time and it's a lot of work. I like to be competitive, and I like to win but if you can't fully motivate yourself to get to every race, then that's the point you have to question yourself, 'do you really want to continue?'"

What also comes into play is how competitive Verstappen himself is: "I love doing Le Mans, I love doing other 24-hour races. All these kind of things I want to experience in my life and I don't want to be doing them when I'm 40 or 50 because then I'm not at the peak of my performance."

'Difficult to stop with dominant car'

Still, the Dutchman holds out hope for the fans who support him in Formula 1: "It also depends a bit how competitive we're going to be over here in 2028. I think it would be very hard to leave a dominant car, for sure."