Hill: Verstappen could become ‘bored’ with F1

Former Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill believes Max Verstappen could become bored with the sport.

The Dutchman has dominated the current campaign, winning 10 out of the 12 races staged so far to take a 125-point lead over Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez into the second half of the season.

But amid his run of success, Verstappen has voiced his concern regarding the future of the sport - particularly with the addition of more races to the calendar and the constant tinkering with the Sprint format.

Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, 1996 World Champion Hill said: "I think there's a slim chance he could get bored because listening to some of his comments about Formula 1, he seems quite negative about having to do any extra work, or the amount of flying and stuff he has to do.

"So you never know. He might just go ‘I can't be bothered with this anymore’ and go off and play computer games in Monaco.

"But that’s a very, very slim chance of that happening. There's nothing to stop him, is there, really?"

Hill believes Verstappen will want to return

Whilst Verstappen could well leave the grid at the end of his current contract that runs through to the conclusion of 2028, Hill has suggested he will likely seek a return, similar to Fernando Alonso or former teammate Daniel Ricciardo.

"We’re talking [about a] very early burnout," Hill said.

"You look at Fernando, who's had an incredibly long career, he had a bit of time out.

"You do wonder whether sometimes these drivers need a reset year where they kind of go ‘Okay, I want to do all these other things I don't have time for when I'm a Formula 1 driver’.

"Ok, go and do it and then you'll realise that actually, you really are much more interested in winning Grands Prix and being in F1.

"The guys who have come back have really kind of, I think they've hit the ground with more enthusiasm than they had before they were there before they were doing it."