Max Verstappen outlines key factor that will trigger F1 retirement

Max Verstappen has indicated that when he loses his "hunger to win" and enjoyment of working with a team, he will retire from F1.

Verstappen's short and long-term futures both within Red Bull and F1 have been called into question recently, with his current contract due to expire in 2028. 

Talks of a potential move to Mercedes for 2026 appear to be over after Toto Wolff put all of his attention on George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, whilst the Dutchman has voiced his displeasure with various aspects of F1 in the past few seasons, leading to claims he could walk away from grand prix racing after '28.

However, Verstappen, who will be 31 at the end of his deal, has indicated that he could go on longer into his mid-to-late 30s, but it depends on how much he is enjoying grand prix racing.

“People sometimes hang around maybe to create more money, but at the end of the day, that doesn’t come first," Verstappen told The Athletic. 

"It’s important you’re here because of the hunger to win. Some people come here to just get the best out of their car because some don’t have a winning car.

"But that’s why I think as long as I can do that, and I’m working with the people that I enjoy working with, then, yeah, we’ll [continue to] drive.

"I don’t know when that will stop. Is that 32? Is that 35? 36? I don’t know. It’s impossible to know."

Verstappen has undergone a major change in his life away from the track, becoming a father for the first time in May 2025, after the birth of his daughter Lilly with partner Kelly Piquet.

The four-time champion conceded that he is starting to miss family time due to his job. 

"I feel like I’m already missing out so much on just being with my family," he said.

"I spend holidays with them, but I really miss the moments of just casually rocking up for a weekend or just hanging out on the couch, sitting together on a lazy day, or just after a normal work day. 

 "We live quite far apart now, so these kinds of moments are not possible with my life. I hope one day that it can go back to that."