Max Verstappen makes firm F1 career end declaration amid 2028 contract talk

According to the Dutch driver, Max Verstappen, he is already more than halfway through his F1 career.

Max Verstappen, on the eve of his 200th Grand Prix, says he won’t be in F1 for a further 200 races as he’s now into the second half of his career.

Despite only being in his mid-20s, Verstappen is among the most seasoned drivers on the grid, having debuted at the tender age of 17 in 2015. Nearly ten years on, the Dutch driver has won multiple World Championships, and asserts that he’s closer to the end than the beginning of his F1 career.

Max Verstappen: The incredible ride is more than halfway through

Additional reporting by Sam Cooper

Verstappen, who won his first race immediately after being promoted from Toro Rosso in mid-2016, has a long-term contract with Red Bull, the team he was racing for at the time.

After climbing up to F1 with Red Bull’s support, his whole career in F1 has been with the company across its two teams. He is also under a long-term contract that secures his position with Red Bull until the end of 2028.

Verstappen, with his 61 Grand Prix victories and three world championships, could potentially win a fourth by the end of 2024. His remarkable career has placed him among the sport’s all-time greats. However, recently, there have been more inquiries about his future than one might typically expect for someone of his age.

The Dutch driver has been speculated to have been eyeing up a switch to Mercedes, with team boss Toto Wolff making his interest very obvious as he seeks a replacement for the departing Lewis Hamilton.

Initially, Verstappen did not try to put an end to the speculation. However, he has shown more dedication to his Red Bull contract in recent weeks. After the summer break, reports suggest that Mercedes has come to terms with their unsuccessful attempts to attract Verstappen for now.

However, although Verstappen’s place at Red Bull may be becoming more secure, the three-time F1 World Champion has explained that he is nearer to the end of his career than the beginning.

When heading to Zandvoort for his 200th Grand Prix weekend, Verstappen was questioned if he has the capacity for another 200.

“No,” was his blunt answer as he addressed media, including PlanetF1.com, ahead of the weekend.

We’ve definitely passed the halfway mark, right? It’s been smooth sailing, hasn’t it?

“Of course, it’s already been an incredible journey. Although reaching 200 doesn’t quite feel like it, we are participating in a lot of races each year, so the numbers add up quickly.”

When asked for further details about his future plans, whether he’ll seek a new contract after his 2028 deal, or what could persuade him to stay on, Verstappen stated that he is currently not considering his future.

“He said, ‘I mean, of course, 2028 is still a long way off,'”

“However, at present, my mind isn’t focused on a new contract, I simply want to see how things progress.”

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Verstappen has openly expressed his concerns about the technical rules scheduled to be implemented in 2026. The Dutch driver stated that his experience driving an F1 car in 2026 and 2027 will significantly influence his future decisions.

“He said, ‘You should also first check out the new regulations to see if they’re fun or not.'”

“Even when it comes to 2026 or 2027, there’s still plenty of time to make decisions, so I prefer to keep all options open. I’m pretty laid-back about it.”

Having completed 200 races, he has experienced numerous highlights while becoming a multiple World Champion. He discussed which of these moments were particularly memorable.

“He said, “Honestly, I believe that winning your very first race is always very emotional.”

Being on the F1 podium is a dream many children have, and reaching the top step, I believe, is always an extraordinary experience.

“Winning my first championship and experiencing these kinds of things will always be two incredible highlights that I will fondly look back on after my career.”

However, since Red Bull no longer holds the dominant position in F1 like it used to in recent years, Verstappen will face a significant challenge to maintain his winning streak at Zandvoort this weekend.

Verstappen has been undefeated since the circuit returned to the calendar in 2021. However, with McLaren, Mercedes, and occasionally Ferrari demonstrating their ability to defeat Red Bull this year, the local champion is merely optimistic for a better weekend as he strives to break his streak without wins.

“Considering the current state of the season, it’s clear that there are many more teams involved who have the potential to win a race,” he said.

Therefore, I am certainly not entering this weekend with the expectation that ‘Yes, we’re going to win the race’.

“My aim is to have a productive weekend, better understanding the car and learning from it. We’ve done a lot of analysis during the break and we plan to implement changes, potentially doing things differently or better. We’ll discover how successful these alterations are over the course of the weekend.”

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