Doubts swirl over Verstappen’s future: 'I don’t believe he’ll be around in a decade'

Speaking to Sky Sports, the former F1 driver and now commentator believes the signals Verstappen has sent in recent months point toward a future away from Formula 1 in the long term, particularly given the Dutchman’s increasingly growing involvement in other racing categories.

“Everything Max says... I think he’s so easy to read. He is so unfiltered. He’s like, ‘I’m not in this for the long haul. I’m not around here to start chasing high water marks in championship tables. I’m going to do this as long as…’ He’s got more money than God already, so that’s not what’s going to define whether he’s enjoying it or not.”

He finally added: “He loves his GT racing, he loves his sim racing, he loves all sorts of things. So I don’t believe he’ll be around in a decade.”

The four-time world champion, speaking as a guest on the Up To Speed podcast, explained that while he finds rallying fascinating, the level of danger involved ultimately puts him off pursuing it himself. From his perspective, the unforgiving nature of rally stages — where a single mistake can mean hitting immovable obstacles like trees — crosses a personal safety line he is not prepared to accept.

He pointed out that, unlike F1, where circuits are equipped with barriers specifically engineered to absorb impact and reduce the severity of crashes, rallying presents risks that feel far less controllable. For that reason, despite his admiration for the discipline, he considers it a level of risk he simply has no intention of taking.