Revealed: Christian Horner’s assessment of Max Verstappen’s F1 future
Red Bull's Christian Horner and Max Verstappen talk on the grid before the Hungarian Grand Prix. Hungaroring July 2022.
Christian Horner has predicted Max Verstappen will not be racing in his 40s following recent comments made by the Dutchman.
Verstappen, who has long stated his belief that his long-term future is not in the sport, raised further questions about to his longevity when he suggested that he would give it up if F1 continued to make format changes.
This statement came ahead of a shake-up to the weekend format at the next race in Baku with an additional qualifying session being added to determine the starting line-up for the race instead of using the sprint race results.
Verstappen is only 25 but has been racing in F1 since he was 17 and has made no secret of his desire to compete in other series.
His current contract with Red Bull runs until 2028 and team boss Horner predicted Verstappen will not go on to match Fernando Alonso and be racing into his 40s.
“There’s always going to be rumours in this paddock that’s Formula 1,” he told Sky Sports News. “Max is his own man and he’s very, very strong in his opinions and his outlook on what he wants to do in his life. 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.”
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While Verstappen may well not be racing in F1 when he hits 40s, his future could lie in other series as the Dutchman is seemingly obsessed with driving. In a recent interview alongside his father Jos and David Coulthard, Verstappen said that in his downtime he enjoys taking part in sim racing.
Horner further reiterated Verstappen’s love of racing and the 49-year-old said that as long as that passion still burns within him, he will keep racing.
“His love and passion is racing,” the Red Bull CEO and team principal said. “And 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 while that burns within him, he’s going to keep going.
“But how long that burns for, I don’t think anybody can [predict]. Each individual’s own journey is their own. They have got to find that out for themselves.”
