Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher's shared record could be safe from Max Verstappen after Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko admitted the Dutchman is not likely to stick around in Formula 1 for that long.
Verstappen secured his first world title last year, and only a remarkable set of results in the final few races of this season will deny him from doing it again. Back-to-back titles shortly after his 25th birthday will be an impressive feat.
It will also be a building block for potential record-breaking success in the future. Hamilton and Schumacher boast seven world titles each – a figure very much in reach for Verstappen if his dominance continues in the coming years.
But Red Bull adviser Marko has suggested the driver may not be around long enough to achieve that feat. Given the success he has had at such a young age, the Austrian warned Verstappen may well lose the desire to keep fighting so hard.
"We want to win more titles together," Marko told Sport1. "But I doubt if we will see Max drive until he has broken all records.
"He could make it, but he's also the type of person who packs his things and leaves when he no longer feels like it. No matter how much you offer him, he won't stay. And that could happen sooner than we all think."
Verstappen currently has the longest deal of any driver on the F1 grid. He is tied down to Red Bull until 2028, in a mega-money contract handed to him after beating Hamilton to the 2021 title.
Earlier this summer, he suggested that might be the date he chooses to leave the sport, even though he will only be 31 years old and, presumably, still more than fit enough to be at the peak of his powers. "Maybe I'll quit. By that time I will have been driving around in Formula 1 for a while," he revealed.
"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?"
