Max Verstappen has hinted he may call time on his Formula 1 career at the end of his current Red Bull contract.
Aged 24, the Dutchman has already achieved his childhood dream of winning the title after beating Lewis Hamilton to the crown last year. He then celebrated that success with a huge new contract giving him salary parity with the seven-time world champion.
That deal also committed him to Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season, with the team keen to keep hold of Verstappen after helping guide him into F1 in the first place. As a result, he currently has the most job security of all drivers on the grid.
But instead of either extending his stay further or looking elsewhere once this huge new deal expires, Verstappen has admitted that may be the ideal time to quit the sport. Even though he will only be 31, he will have just finished his 14th season in F1.
Asked if he has any plans for the final year of his deal, he admitted: "Maybe I'll quit. By that time I will have been driving around in Formula 1 for a while. It depends a bit on whether the car is good and I'm still competing for prizes.
"I can't stand having to do my laps at the back. I'd rather drive in another class. But at the moment I wouldn't want to drive for any other team. So if you feel good and it works, why change?"
Even if he does choose to turn his back on F1, there are plenty of other racing series which interest Verstappen. He has previously shot down the idea of appearing in Indycar and trying to complete the 'triple crown', but Le Mans is an option as endurance racing is a favourite of his.
"There is less pressure, more fun," he said. "That might even be possible during my Formula 1 career. But not this year or the next, maybe after. The 24-hour races seem like something to me – Le Mans, Spa-Francorchamps, Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Or the one in Bathurst, Australia. Well, in a GT3 car."
