Max Verstappen (Image: Getty)
has admitted that while surpassing the seven World Championships won by and is the ‘ultimate’ F1 aim, there are other priorities in his life, such as spending time with his family and racing in other disciplines.
Retirement talk has been common from Verstappen over the past couple of years. The four-time world champion has reiterated that the enjoyment factor of the 2026 cars will have a significant impact on his decision to stay in the sport beyond 2028 when his contract ends.
After securing the crown in Las Vegas on Sunday, Verstappen still has time to become F1’s first eight-time world champion. However, with and the early favourites to battle for the 2025 title and extremely confident about their prospects for the new regulations in 2026, the 27-year-old may need to drive deep into his 30s to achieve this feat.
Speaking after his title-winning drive in Las Vegas, he said: “Twenty-four races is a lot, I know that I cannot do that forever. I love racing, I love competing at the highest level, but there will be a day that I just want to relax a bit more, you know? You only live once.”
“At the end of your 30s, 40s, naturally your body is already declining a bit, of course, I can spend that in F1, but I also want to do other stuff, to look back at, to at least maximise my lifetime on this planet.
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Lewis Hamilton is also aiming for eight Drivers’ Championship titles (Image: Getty)
“Of course, the ultimate goal, can you win eight titles? Yeah, it would be amazing, yes, but on the other hand, it’s not really necessary. There’s so many more things I want to do in life, catch up with my family.
“Nowadays, sometimes my dad or mom calls me and I’m like: ‘Eh, I’m busy, I’ll call them back later’, but I also know there will be a day where they’re not calling me anymore because they won’t be here. These kinds of moments made me realize it’s not all about racing F1.”
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When it comes to his next steps in motorsport after F1, Verstappen’s most likely destination will be in sportscar racing. The Dutchman has expressed a desire to compete in the World Endurance Championship and has teased a 24 Hours of Le Mans entry with close friend Fernando Alonso.
If he wanted to head Stateside, Verstappen may look towards the IMSA SportsCar Championship, having experienced and enjoyed the Acura ARX-06 GT machine used in the series during a Honda track day.