Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, has thrown a surprise prediction into the mix about his son’s future in Formula 1, by suggesting that he could race into his 40s.
Three-time world champion Verstappen has often been a little negative when it comes to his long-term future in the sport, suggesting he might not stick around once his current contract expires in 2028.
The Red Bull driver has been in formidable form in 2023, cruising to his third consecutive world championship title, and breaking plenty of records along the way.
Lewis Hamilton, his former rival, recently agreed to a new deal with his Mercedes team, which will allow him to continue competing in Formula One racing into his 40s.
At forty-two, Fernando Alonso is having something of a comeback with his Aston Martin squad right now. The two-time world champion must be at least 43 before he retires for the second time because his contract doesn’t expire until the end of 2024.
Whilst Verstappen has made it pretty clear that he doesn’t want to stick around as long as those two particular drivers, his father has suggested otherwise.
“To be that good, how he wins the races and how many he’s won, I think we didn’t expect [it] and definitely not at the age of 26,” he told Sky Sports.
“He’ll never get tired of the racing. I think he will continue until 40, until 45, but it all depends on the small things.”
Verstappen opens up on Abu Dhabi showdown
Naturally, Hamilton lost out on the dominant Dutchman’s first world title as the British player went for his record-tying eighth.
The two drivers went into the final race of the season tied for first place after an intense championship battle.
Though the outcome was clouded in controversy—perhaps unjustly considering how hard both drivers had fought throughout the year—Verstappen emerged victorious after a breathtaking last-lap pass on Hamilton.
Verstappen’s father has now opened up about how he felt after seeing his son win.
“I got goosebumps, you didn’t even see it,” he remarked. “Everyone was quite anxious. My heart rate was elevated during the entire race, and it seemed like everything fell off your shoulders afterward.”
With the highly anticipated Las Vegas Grand Prix coming up, Verstappen and Red Bull will be hoping to record their first-ever 1-2 finish in the drivers’ championship.
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