Red Bull boss Christian Horner admits Max Verstappen won't "be a Fernando Alonso" by racing into his 40s.
The Dutchman, who is eyeing a third straight world championship, recently sparked speculation over his future amid continued change within the sport. Verstappen remains the sport's youngest ever winner and, despite only being 25, is now into his ninth F1 season.
F1 has faced criticism for the perception it is putting entertainment before sporting merit and, as its popularity continues to grow, changes to Grand Prixs are being considered that will see more racing taking place. Verstappen made his views clear when he told Portugal's Sport TV last week: "I think that's way better for the excitement. I naturally, of course, hope that there won't be too many changes – otherwise I won't be around for too long."
Those comments have lad to suggestions that the Dutchman, among the sport's biggest names, could call time on his career. Horner, who promoted Verstappen to Red Bull in 2016, admits his opinionated driver loves racing, but couldn't confirm how long that passion would remain for.
He told Sky Sports : "Max is his own man and he's very, very strong in his opinions and on his outlook on what he wants to do in his life. And I don't see him being a Fernando Alonso and still racing at 41 or 42 years of age, or maybe not in Formula 1, but what his love and passion is, is racing.
"If he's not racing on track at the moment, he's racing in the virtual world, he's driving GT cars for fun, and his passion is just driving and racing, and while that burns within him, he's going to keep going. But how long that burns for, that's each individual's own journey, they've got to find that out for themselves."
Verstappen is again the favourite to claim this year's championship, having won two of the opening three rounds, with his team-mate Sergio Perez seemingly the only man who can stop him given the pace of the Red Bull cars.
The Austrian outfit have created one of the quickest cars in recent times and technical director Adrian Newey has been key to that. Horner has also confirmed that he will remain, despite rumours of an exit.
He said: "His heart is still very much in Formula 1 and his commitment to the team is, it's not something. We don't talk about contracts or longevity of contracts, but he'll be here for many years to come. There's always going to be rumours in this paddock, that's Formula 1."
The Red Bull boss also added: "He's such an important part of our team and popular part of our team. It's great to have him with us for the long term, but also to be involved in some of the things we're now getting involved in."
