The moment of retirement?
Following the Japanese Grand Prix, the last race of the championship before the April break, Max Verstappen‘s statements have raised serious doubts about his future in Formula 1. In addition to the crisis of results in the first three weekends of the world championship, the four-time champion heavily criticized the new technical regulations introduced this year, so much so that he is seriously considering the possibility of retiring from the Circus at the end of the season.
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A climate of great uncertainty has been added to the recent official announcement of Gianpiero Lambiase, his race engineer, moving to McLaren in 2028. However, it cannot be ruled out, according to the latest rumors in the driver market, that Verstappen himself might join Lambiase in Woking, with Oscar Piastri taking his place at Red Bull. The Dutchman’s future, in any case, remains entirely unwritten, but Verstappen himself provided an important preview.
The first goal
Present at an event in Amsterdam, the driver answered a question posed by his compatriots from Formule1.NL about his future project: winning a fifth Formula 1 world title or the 24 Hours of Le Mans? In this regard, Verstappen replied with conviction: “The fifth world title. I believe I can still win at Le Mans when I’m a bit older. This season, that world title won’t come. However, you can still participate in Le Mans until you’re 45.”
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Furthermore, Verstappen’s answer about the career he might have pursued if he hadn’t become an F1 driver was curious: “I also love MotoGP. As a child, I also raced those minimotos, but I immediately realized I had more talent on four wheels than on two. Maybe I would have been a race marshal or something, haha. No, I don’t think so. I have no idea, but I’ve always been involved with motorsport.”
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