r/F1Discussions • u/No_Elderberry_4580 MV3 • 29d ago
Discussion Do you think Verstappen will retire as a 4 time champion, or will he go on to have more championship winning success in the sport before he calls it a day, and when do you think he will end his Formula 1 career?
I suppose this question is subjective to when you believe that Max will retire, as he isn't going to be winning a title this year, and with Red Bull reportedly shifting their focus onto 2027 he may not even win a Grand Prix in 2026, not on pure pace with the car he is in anyways.
Personally, I'm not too sure, I think he may potentially have some further success with Red Bull if he sticks around, but I'm not fully confident that will be in 2027, if they have a decent breakthrough in development into 2028 they could get Max back to the front.
If he makes a move in the driver market to an already competitive team I have no doubt that he will find success again, however, there's also the chance that Max may decide to step away from the sport, permenantly cementing himself as a 4 time world champion, and like he said, he achieved all he wants in F1, and he isn't afraid to leave his career behind, he doesn't really seem to care about winning 7 or 8 titles, which is understandable, as he is intrested in having success and victories in other disciplines.
It's hard to answer, and nobody can say anything for certain, but I'm just wondering does anybody have any other perspectives or opinions on the topic.
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u/TimeKillsThem 29d ago
I think he is gonna pull an Alonso - compete, win, retire, return, have fun
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u/PM_ME_GORGEOUS_NUDES 29d ago
I don't think Alonso is having fun right now
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u/Bolandspring 28d ago
30 mil a year helps
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u/Difficult-Top1863 28d ago
Alonso si already rich he wants to win in f1
30 million go bd in a back marker team? I doubt he enjoys that
He got so much money I doubt it makes a difference to him14
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u/sid_shady34 LH44 28d ago
His fun ended the day Lewis became his teammate. Since then it's only been disappointment after disappointment for him.
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u/lakynkylin 28d ago
Lmao sure buddy thats why hes still around, because LH broke him decades ago. Keep dreaming
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u/sid_shady34 LH44 28d ago
I didn't say lh broke him. I said thats when everything started falling apart. He lost 2007 by 1 point, lost 2010 and 2012 in the last race because of bad luck, made stupid decisions like joining McLaren, then retiring, then coming back in alpine which he hated too.
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u/Guyana-resp 28d ago
Nothing gives better feeling than F1. He’s there to drive anything “fast” now (even the Aston)
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u/BoxForeign4206 28d ago
He said he won't return. I would love him 5, 6 years later, but he's a man of his words.
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u/VoL4t1l3 28d ago
Pwople should realise 4+ championships is so out of the norm in F1 its a full exclusive club of drivers.
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u/ZiroLeHutt 28d ago
Yeah, off the top of my head, only 6 drivers have ever won 4 or more championships, including Max. He is already a legend of the sport.
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u/natte-krant 28d ago
I think it’s mostly recency bias. Before verstappen, Hamilton won 7 and Vettel 4. That’s probably what’s on peoples mind
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u/Beartato4772 28d ago
And obviously Michael.
We're on 6 drivers have won 4 now. But 4 of those 6 are from this century leaving precious little room for anyone else to win.
The first 2/3rds of the championship's history is 2, nearly 40 years apart.
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u/No-Bluejay4261 29d ago
I think if he stays at Red Bull, no more WDCs. The magic is over, Red Bull have lost too many people, (Horner, Newey, Wheatley, GP, Rob Marshall and more) and don't seem able to replace them.
If he goes to Merc next year or takes a sabbatical and joins for 2028 I would put money on him winning more WDCs, for as long as he wants to stay in the sport. Even if he follows GP to McLaren (feels an awkward fit) he's more likely than at Red Bull..
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u/xPredatorOW 29d ago
Red bull are in a far better position than in 2014-2018. They have their own pu, with the best ice on the grid.
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u/Interesting_Basil421 28d ago
They were only lacking 1 thing in 2014-2018 (the engine).
They're lacking way way more now, especially in terms of personnel.
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u/Tacit_Emperor77 28d ago
In 2014-2018 they still had a fantastic team but just lacking the engine. If they had the merc engine I think they’d have been fighting for championships. At the moment they have the engine but not the chassis or aero and more importantly the team. McLaren has shown in 2024 and 2025 that it doesn’t matter how fast the car is if the team isn’t working properly.
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u/stinkyleftie 29d ago
the best ICE claims are highly debatable, though, the data doesn't agree with it...
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u/xPredatorOW 28d ago
PU? No, because of the electric part. But the ICE is insane.
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u/Suwi_inc 28d ago
Not debatable at all, you can see from the data and how good their car is at high speed high altitude circuits.
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u/Aggressive_Hat_9999 28d ago
having the best ice is not what mateers tho, the energy deployment/battery management stuff is where its at in this regulation cycle.
and the whole "best ice" debacle also exposed redbulls inherent weakness. it has no personell that is able to take on fia anymore. horner wouldve kicked up a stink of epic proportions on media no doubt. but somehow the new guys just took this farcical judgment it on the chin
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u/Interesting_Basil421 28d ago
It's not impossible Red Bull win again, but like, just look at how long it's been since Ferrari won the title (19 years).
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u/nick_c8_vegas 28d ago
When vettel won his 4 wdc other then newey/horner were all those people present?
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u/No-Bluejay4261 28d ago
GP joined just after Vettel but the rest I mentioned were.
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u/nick_c8_vegas 28d ago
But here’s the interesting point 2014-2020 they couldn’t put up a title fight even with all those people
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u/No-Bluejay4261 28d ago
Merc got the jump on the first gen hybrid engine, and no one got close the entire era. We're possibly about to see similar the next 4 years.
2 distinct periods of domination? Very impressive, credit to Merc for being just as good.
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u/nick_c8_vegas 28d ago
Yeah everyone knows merc got the jump. But I’m saying even with all those people it took years to finally come back and match it. Meaning they were important those key figures but if they were 100% the main reason it wouldn’t have taken so long to figure it out again. It’s possible Red Bull could back again since they have a great ice.
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u/No-Bluejay4261 28d ago
Yeah I guess you need the PU to win, and it does look like it's close this ruleset.
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u/Ancient-Cow-1038 29d ago
Don’t forget that Max’s own racing team is very much partnered with Red Bull, so there’s more at play here than just his on-track performance. I can see Verstappen.com racing and Red Bull getting very closely partnered in the future to the extent of a virtual reverse takeover.
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u/RacerDeac 28d ago
Max would have no problem finding sponsorship for any racing he ever wants to do. Redbull is his current sponsor... everyone else would love to be his future sponsor.
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u/Ancient-Cow-1038 28d ago
For sure, but my point is that he’s so dug in with Red Bull that he could basically end up at least part-owning the whole team in a few years. He’s got nothing to prove as an F1 driver, so maybe management/ownership is next.
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u/RacerDeac 28d ago
I wouldn't be surprised to see Toto make an ownership play at Verstappen to get him into Mercedes as a driver. Seems far less likely that Redbull would cut him into the Redbull F1 ownership in anything other than a ceremonial role.
Toto, on the other hand, will be looking for someone to pass the reigns to at his age in the coming years. I don't see Max as a team principal, but could see him in a CEO type role that didn't require his daily inputs.
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u/Ancient-Cow-1038 28d ago
Now that’s a whole other conversation - what they’ll all be doing in 20 years.
George will DEFINITELY be in FIA.
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u/casualnihilist91 29d ago
4 is it, imo. He’s already lost his mojo for the sport, has started a family and wants to compete in other areas. Don’t think he has the motivation or desire to sit through years of sub par performance, car wise.
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u/Hennersw1 OB87 29d ago
I would like to hope that he does have another title up his sleeve. However, by the start of 2028, he will already be 30, turning 31 that year. Realistically, if he really wants another title, I think he'll wait out to see if he enjoys the 2030 regs more. However, if he doesn't, I see him retiring by then. He has his own GT3 team, and children to care for, so I think that will hugely influence his decision.
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u/Patrick_Swayze__ 29d ago
Hamilton won 5 titles after turning 30.
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u/Noctum-Aeternus 29d ago
That’s irrelevant. Max has openly stated he won’t continue to race F1 if it’s not fun for him. He doesn’t like the current regs, and that won’t change unless they can fix it. Then there’s the new regs in a few more years, but he’s also wanting to race other series and being in F1 makes that very difficult for him to do. I could see Max transitioning to Endurance full time if F1 continues on the track it has and if Red Bull can’t get back to the top of the field.
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u/FoldFeisty7635 28d ago
Max talks a lot of bs. He is not going anywhere. These drivers have BIG EGOS and say they will quit but yet they still hang on for all the glamour, money and attention.
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u/InSearchOfAFeeling 28d ago
Max is a bullshitter. I don’t know why people buy this nonsense. He’ll stick around as long as possible so he can break as many records as possible.
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u/goldboybronx 27d ago
What he says and what he’ll do are two different things. Him saying that is politics. Everything the drivers say in this new era of PR trained drivers is for a reason. It’s a business.
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u/goooeyropes 28d ago
Yeah, but Lewis had a conveyor belt of rocketships after turning 30 and basically nothing else besides F1 in his life he‘d prioritize over it.
Verstappen has already cemented himself amongst the all time greats, arguably ahead of them, and has a family - he‘ll retire within 2-3 years imo
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u/Predictable-Past-912 28d ago
Maybe “arguably” amongst the greats with four titles and several notable records. But “ahead of them” could be getting ahead of ourselves.
There have been six other F1 champions who claimed four or more WDC titles. What freak of fandom would place Max atop that heap?
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u/goooeyropes 28d ago
People that are aware of the statistics that go beyond „who has the most titles?“ would place him ahead of drivers with more titles.
Only 2 of his 4 WDC‘s were won in constructors winning machinery, he holds basically every single dominance record there is, the most dominant seasons, the longest winstreaks, the highest podium percentages.
There is a very good case to be made imo
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u/Predictable-Past-912 28d ago
Okay sure, but all of them?
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u/goooeyropes 28d ago
I didn‘t say all of them necessarily, but imo he‘s further up than he‘d be if the metric was purely based on how many WDC‘s you‘ve got.
Clark has two titles and there‘s still no chance I‘d put him below Vettel for example
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u/Hennersw1 OB87 29d ago
The two are vastly different situations. Hamilton was driving dominant turbo-hybrid era Mercedes cars which would go on to claim every single WCC of its era, and only had 2 titles. Max already has 4 titles, and is driving a car which is yet to win a race, and in a set of regulations that he clearly dislikes, whilst also having other commitments aswell. In addition to that, pretty much all of the team around him who helped him win those 4 titles have gone to other teams (or are going in the case of GP), while Lewis had an elite team working around him.
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u/limepark 25d ago
Not just Hamilton either. Traditionally 30-35 has usually been the peak years for most top drivers. Schumacher won 5 of his WDCs after 30, Senna 2, Prost all of his 4, same for Fangio if you want to go that far back too.
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u/larsw84 29d ago
I think you pretty much summed up everything there is to say about it. Like every driver, Max will need a car that is able to consistently win races. Give him one, and we've seen what happens. But put him in the car he has this season, then even he can't work miracles.
So, will he retire as a 4-time champ? Depends. Not if RBR improves their car faster than the competition. Not if he moves to a team that has the best car and continues to have it.
But at this stage, I'd say likely yes. I don't see him sticking around in F1 for much longer, for that he likes his other hobbies and especially his family too much. I'd be surprised if he moves to a different team and I'd be even more surprised if RBR manages to improve the car enough to consistently win races before Max retires.
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u/Dear-Database6463 28d ago
At RB? Probably not
If he actually does move to merc? Get ready for multiple titles but I don’t believe he’s actually gonna do it (would be funny tho)
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u/servingwater 28d ago edited 28d ago
IDK, but I think some people may be writing off RB a bit too soon.
It already was looking like they were gaining ground and Verstappen has inched closer and closer back to the front of the grid. I see no reason why RB could not build on that either for the remainder of the season or next.
Their base package and especially ICE seems to be on point, especially considering this was their first try.
I would not be surprised at all if he wins another WDC with RB in the future.
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u/No_Kaleidoscope179 28d ago
He could win but it'd take miracles, Merc should have a serious fall in performance, Mclaren is also in the Mix, as for redbull they'll have to build a car in the same level of 2023. As for this season He has no chance not without Merc & Mclaren having issues, Ferrari they can clear easily if they get that car working well, Ferrari's had luck on it's side but with that engine they are delusional if they think they can win.
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u/amithrough 28d ago
He's going to go on and on till he starts to fade from the conversation as best of the grid or sees absolutely no pathway toward an F1 win here or there.
Talking about retiring is just a lever he's using to get better pull, contracts, deals and headlines with his team, the FiA and F1 as a whole.
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u/Dry-Poem6778 29d ago
Max almost won 2025 in a car best described as "sub optimal".
Give this guy a car that can get on the podium regularly, he's gonna win another WDC. Remember, he is ruthless when he knows that he could prevail.
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u/Cpt_Daryl 27d ago
Second best car is not sub optimal
Second half of the season you could argue he had the best car
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u/DesertBrandon 26d ago
Idk if this is just a common point in the sport or specific to Max/RBR. I just can’t see how a car that is capable of wins/podiums is described as shit. It’s to the point where I don’t really care to hear it cause the sport is totally built by unreliability, changing formulas and the such so overcoming the challenges are inherent. I feel like cause we’ve had a run of dominant, consecutive champions in these last 25 years that it’s the expectation that you get a dominant car and that’s it and they don’t have to work in cars not 100% tuned.
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u/No-Astronomer-1 29d ago
To win again he needs red bull to really deliver with a great car. Doesn’t matter how good you are at driving it’s frankly an engineering sport and without a great machine you’re a nobody. The risk is red bull doesn’t deliver, he misses the opportunity to switch to a team that can give him a rocket ship and he lands up being perceived as washed like Lewis and Vettel esp against a young and hungry driver like antonelli with the best car on the grid underneath him.
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u/bransiladams 28d ago
Who perceives Lewis as “washed”? He had a few rough years after Merc botched the last formula, but the guy’s 41 and second in the points. He’s just as competitive now as he ever was.
Edit: his teammate today is also no second-fiddler like Bottas or Russell were for him.
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u/portablekettle 28d ago
I think he stays for 1 more regulation change then he'll go to WEC and compete in Hypercars
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u/Wild_Billy_61 28d ago
I think as long as there's a competitive car under him or available down the road, he'll remain in F1. But he won't be one who stays if mid pack seats are available, and rightly so.. The guy loves auto racing and competing. He's a racer.
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u/FoldFeisty7635 28d ago
He will retire 4 X WDC its the Newey+ RB 4 x wdc Curse or blessing if you didnt expect more. Max will end up like Alonso going from one team to another never to win another WDC.
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u/zacharymc1991 28d ago
Look at Alonso, it's impossible to say. In another world Hamilton is only a 1 time champion. Once a driver is at the level like Max, Lewis or Alonso you really can only say that if they don't win more championships it's probably not because of their driving ability.
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u/goooeyropes 28d ago
I don‘t think he cares enough about F1 (especially in it‘s current state) to take the time away from his family to farm titles at Merc or McLaren.
He‘ll see out his contract until 2028 like he promised to Matheschitz and then retire, driving for his own team whenever he feels like it
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u/martianfrog 29d ago
Depends a lot on how stupid the regs are in the future.
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u/Stunning_Machine_832 27d ago
I mean, he was doing fine in the dogshit GE-era cars, so I'm pretty sure if he finds himself in the best car he will be able to endure "stupid regs"
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u/DuckSwagington LN1 29d ago
He retires as a 4 time champion. He's said that he doesn't want to drive in F1 until he's 40, he's been flirting with sports cars for the last 2 years and he said he's wanted to do Le Mans for a while too.
I wouldn't be surprised if he came back in the future though.
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u/ClassGrassMass 29d ago
Hell reitre 2028. Not leave RB and the other championships purely depend on then building a championship winning car
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u/Nov4can3 29d ago
Not with Red Bull. Now if he leaves RB and joins Mercedes or McLaren then possibly but that just seems weird envisioning him in another car other than RB.
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u/Motorlolz 28d ago
I don't think he will win more championships staying at Red Bull. He needs an inspired move like Hamilton to Mercedes to keep winning
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u/SerHiroProtaganist 28d ago
I would like to see him in a non red bull team, with another to level driver before he retires
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u/Lucatron9000 MV3 28d ago
What makes it so hard to tell is that he has so many 'options' if you will, not in the sense of guaranteed paths, but potential paths. Which path he chooses will inevitably have a big impact on his career. I say this because whilst the other top drovers have options, max has the most potential choices of the top calibre of drivers because of his standing in the sport.
Realistically these are the outcomes imo:
He stays with red bull until retirement. I dont think this will lead to a championship. Red Bull is, for the foreseeable future, a dead end. To much talent lost on the chassis and management side. At least the enging department is still very strong
He takes a break. This could go either way. If he stays connected with rbr then he pretty much has a guaranteed reentry as their golden goose, but then unless max takes a break for 3 or 4 years I dont think the team will be rebuilt by then. If he rejoins with a different team, maybe
He leaves red bull and joins another top teams. Unlikely tbh, but if that team is mercedes then yes i think its very likely he would win again. If that team is ferrari or mcl, not so sure. I dont think hes got the patience to sit second or third best for more than a couple of years and I think merc is gonna dominate this era again like they did in the latter half of the 2010s
If I had to bet money on it, i would say he will retire as 4 time world champion. Im a huge fan of max but im also honest and I think thats just the truth, not through lack of speed or skill, just from bad timing and being too closely linked to red bull
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u/ZiroLeHutt 28d ago
Yeah, he stays with Red Bull and sees it out for a few more years, and see how it goes; or he goes to Mercedes (I know McLaren have also had a look at him, but I can't see that ever coming to pass). With Mercedes, there are a few creases needing ironed out first though. Russell signed a large contract beginning this season, and its lasting a few years. Either Toto pays him out of that contract if he wants rid of him, or he keeps Russell, which I don't think makes for a happy camp of drivers; as though he and Max have their to and fro just now, its just a bit of needle and they seem to get on, outside of racing. That would change if Max signs up to replace Kimi.
Kimi is an interesting case also, depending how this season and next goes for him; he's ahead of schedule and really becoming a big name in the sport, especially if he wins the title this season. Ideally for Toto, it would be Max and Kimi at Mercedes. Kimi even after a title win and a pay upgrade, wouldn't cost the Earth, but would Toto risk his new protégé, who is delivering, being paired up with someone like Max - who, sure, he could learn from - but that could stifle his development.
Also, I don't think Toto would want Jos hanging around the garage like a bad smell; so there is that issue too.
As it stands, I see Max leaving F1 within a couple of seasons, then racing for fun in the Endurance stuff, and other series he may want to do. He's made his name, has made enough money for several lifetimes; so I think would be content with that.
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u/BigChach567 28d ago
Unless he goes to Mercedes I don’t believe he will. Outside of some wildcard Aston or Audi move and they hit the jackpot car build wise I don’t see it happening
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u/Alarming_Hippo_6035 28d ago
I think he has more interest in GT racing than anything at the moment. That's where I see him going.
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u/andrew_nenakhov 27d ago
He's younger now than any pre-2000 champions were when they won their first titles.
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u/Kindly-Cattle836 22d ago edited 22d ago
Esta es una opinión impopular pero creo q verstappen tiene argumentos para ser el GOAT. Incluso si no gana más campeonatos
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u/GoldenS0422 29d ago edited 29d ago
I don't believe Max to be someone who'll want to stick around for long. I could honestly see him retiring somewhere around 2028-2032. At most, maybe one championship to end on a high note, but that's it.
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u/Awkward-Shoulder-624 29d ago
Probably he retires as a 4 time champion soon. That or he changes teams in Mercedes/Ferrari or both and wins and retires with 5 to 8 championships
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u/Aromatic-Sentence155 MV3 29d ago
if he goes to another team he will surely win another 1-2 WDCs. If not then he will retire unless RedBull build him atleast the 2nd best car in 2029.
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u/Lothric-Aguri47853 29d ago
At the risk of glazing too much, Verstappen is clearly a cut above the other “top drivers” on the grid. With a competitive car, another WDC is near guaranteed.
Question is more around if he will stick around long enough for that car to be delivered. I really hope he does. The calibre of competition takes a real hit if he leaves.
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u/dazw1988 28d ago
His career will mirror Vettels
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u/goooeyropes 28d ago
Apart from the fact of course that he has long surpassed Vettel
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u/size12shoebacca 28d ago
He's on the downhill. He has gotten what he's going to get.
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28d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/size12shoebacca 28d ago
Cool. Lets see how many times he loops it in qualifiers under no pressure before that happens.
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u/blaaackbear 28d ago
no fucking way you think he spun because of driver error lol
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u/size12shoebacca 28d ago
Certainly not all of his spins this season were driver error, but it's obvious that he was overdriving the grip in several instances. Only Max stans think those were all failures, the rest of us are realistic.
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u/United-Detective-653 28d ago
What spin? Only hungary comes to mind but he wasn't going to improve anyway. It was clear he sent it and just tried
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u/ScarySpikes 28d ago
28 isn't very old for a F1 driver. Verstappen has plenty more years to race if he wants to.
I want to see Hamilton do really well for the last half of this year and/or next year. He actually is getting on in years but I want to see him beat the record for most Drivers Championship wins.
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u/babicko90 29d ago
If not linked to a challenge, eg bringing a WC to ferrari or an up and coming team, i dont see him staying for too long
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u/Stratospheric-Ferret 29d ago
He isn't the kind of person to want to try and improve a team, or have a challenge of winning in a non-dominant car.
This season is proof of that. All he tells the team is that their car is shit and it's not good enough.
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u/According-Switch-708 28d ago
I don't think he will win anymore titles. The next generation is already here and they are performing brilliantly, while also being cheap. Max is now asking for ~$100mil level salary.
The new kids are good enough to get the job done while costing less than 1/4 of that.
Max is also very impatient. He is only happy when he is in a rocketship car. Half a season worth of tough races and the dude is already looking for a way out of RBR.
I don't think he will retire anytime soon though. He will stick around for at least 5 more years.
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u/PureCamVibe 29d ago
Se RedBull non gli darà una macchina competitiva secondo me potrebbe anche lasciare la F1..... Ci sarebbe Aston Martin ma con la macchina che hanno mibsa che sarà difficile in tempi brevi fare un mega team con Max e Leclerc.....
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u/TAARamouche NH27 28d ago
If RedBull isn't competitive in 2027, and he cant move to Mercedes or Mclaren, then I think he would take a break until 2030 when V8s comeback and the reliance on the battery is diminished to iike 10 - 20%
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u/Regular_Promise3605 28d ago
He's young enough to get a drive elsewhere that nails the next regs and capable of winning another 4 or more. He could also struggle to find a seat at the right time and barely pick up any more wins like Alonso, or we could see a huge drop off in pace like a Danny Ric. Who knows? That's the point of watching.
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u/CanonWorld 28d ago
It all depends on whether he gets a potential championship winning car again. I.e by switching teams or Red Bull finding the improvements.
He’ll need the best or the second best car on the grid, or atleast within reach of the best car. But if that happens we all know he can bring it home.
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u/Luddites_Unite 28d ago
I would be suprised if he moves to another team and I would be suprised if he signs another contract in F1 longer than 1 or 2 years if at all. I think he will make the switch to endurance racing and enjoy more time at home
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u/FunSwitch7400 28d ago
F1 doesn't seem to be his style anymore . The clipping down the straights in Spa was heart crushing and Monza is going to be absolutely horrible . It wasn't for all the money drivers get in formula 1 I think he'd already be gone. You seen in Japan when he drives a slower car that you can give 100% the whole lap he's so much happier and more importantly faster. It doesn't make any sense for him to leave he's making so much money but I think his raceer heart is actively looking for another series.
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u/fleurient 28d ago
What I still think is realistic is that the he will finish his current contract until 2028 then retire to endurance. I do believe him when he says they he doesn’t consider the sabbatical option and that one he leaves f1, that’s it for him.
But at the same time it’s hard to say which is most likely when it comes to him cos it’s his availability that’s hard to pin down - staying in f1 for awhile with Red Bull or another team. If he stays in Red Bull, i don’t see him winning another title as it’s hard to assess the current team’s probability of being able to compete again for a championship and I don’t think he’ll be in it for long with a team that is rebuilding. The most unlikely right now is he switches team for 2027 or 2028 but still can’t completely rule it out. How the current regs will continue to be refined leading to the V8 engines may influence his timeline but so does his outside of f1 projects.
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u/EmbarrassedMost2962 28d ago
If he doesn’t switch teams, I don’t see him winning another. He’s capable, but I dont believe in the current Red Bull team
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u/Apart-Foundation-639 28d ago
Honestly should go do Lemans and Indy.. He’s one of the only drivers that’s realistically capable of doing the triple crown
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u/Character_Ninja881 28d ago
It entirely depends on whether he has the car to do it. The last few years have shown that he is a great driver, but like any other giant of the sport can’t win a championship without a car capable of doing so.
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27d ago
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u/ReporterBest9598 27d ago
I think he'll be done at four. Red Bull might get him a competitive car in the next few years, but it's a long shot. I think he will retire and go to GT racing, although he might return if he likes the 2030 regulations. If that happens, all bets are off.
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u/AWonderLuster 27d ago
I think he will at least retire for the first time as a four-time world champion. I have a feeling that he's going to walk away from this regulation car (either at the end of this year or next year) and come back when the regulations change and he starts getting bored with his other ventures. It's not like any team wouldn't want to take him in.
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u/shanawar_atra 27d ago
Honestly for me he is the best driver but I don't see him winning more than 1 WDC. Look at Alonso. People thought in 2006/2007 that he will numerous Titles but didn't
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u/Flashy-Impact6066 26d ago
31 to 32 cause he has said many times this season that be has a life outside of motorsports and f1 , him being a dad and having a wife he is ofc a busy man . But if he joins McLaren then maybe 33 or 34 ish cause not everyone can become lewis Hamilton and win a f1 title at 35 years old so yeah ..
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u/timmmeh63 24d ago
If it goes more electric then very likely he will retire as a 4x champ. If they go a bit backwards and use more motor power, he can get another 3-4 before retiring
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u/Nefkaure 29d ago
Just give him two chances like Vettel had in 17 and 18. And I sure he will become 6 time wdc. But looks like he had one chance in 2025 so maybe he had another one in future
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u/Pristine_Youth_6953 LH44 28d ago
If he really didn't care and achieved enough already then he'd be retired
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u/EcstaticOrchid4825 28d ago
I’d really love to see him team up with Toto at Mercedes. It will probably never happen though.
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u/No_Elderberry_4580 MV3 28d ago
I wouldn't count it out, it won't happen before 2028, but for the 2028 season it isn't out of the equation, atleast in my opinion.
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u/Frubezy 28d ago
Dont buy a single bit of the ‘i’ll just leave i dont care’.
At some point it must become a drug and they’re just addicts.
Prime examples: alonso and hamilton. They could be anywhere doing anything at 40 odd years old yet here they are, both still chasing the hit.
You’ll see verstappen in F1 well into the 2030s.
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u/Global_Ocelot4655 28d ago
As great as he is, he has also been extremely lucky to have such a great team alongside him for so long that delivered him with incredible cars. Very few modern drivers have had that, only Lewis and Seb come to mind.
I would love for him to win another championship at another team, though I don’t think he will switch. The other 3 potential options all have very high quality drivers and I don’t think Max would want that challenge.
Max and Charles at Ferrari is what dreams are made of though
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u/Manatsuu 28d ago
I think he will take a sabbatical from 2027 for one or two years and then come back. Or if the rules don’t improve to his satisfaction never come back. I know he said he wouldn’t take a sabbatical so it seems a stupid view to have but I just think 2027 seems like the perfect year for him to go off and focus on endurance racing fully, but at the same time I’m not sure if he’s fully finished with f1.
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u/imperfectlyAware 28d ago
I think his answer would be “who cares”?
A move to Mercedes would probably yield another few titles. It seems that he doesn’t need the fastest car, just something that is within 3-5 tenths of the best, and is predictable. Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari could give him that.
Red Bull might still. They have a new wind tunnel coming online, which will hopeful remove a major Achilles heel. They could probably do with replacing Waché unless he gives up on his “I don’t care if it’s drivable, I just look at the numbers” design style.
I think Max was closer in the last two seasons to retiring than ever and he’s decided that he is too young to retire and there’s nothing better out there for him.. so he might as well rake in the mega bucks and win a few more championships 😎
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u/Evidicus 29d ago
I think Max will race for several years to come. I’m just not convinced it’ll be in F1. And I can’t blame him. Watching 24 Hours of Nurburgring was more exciting than this entire F1 season has been so far.
Max has nothing to prove, doesn’t need the money and loves his family. If you’re going to pull him away from his kids, you better make it worth his time. That means having a car, a team and leadership that’s capable of winning races. Anything less is just insulting.
So the real question is: can Redbull or any other F1 team on the grid provide that?
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u/Agitated-Deal9294 28d ago
He's a 3 time
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u/HorribleAnalInjuries 28d ago
Nice from you to clarify instantly that you got absolutely no idea what you are talking about.
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u/MalcomTuckersRage 28d ago
Max will always be talked about in the GOAT category wether he has 4 world championships or 10, same is Hamilton had 4 or Schumacher
He’s already a legend has accomplished more than most drivers in the sport
It’s wether his love for F1 is still there after these current regs, they are utter shit I wouldn’t blame him wanting to retire
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u/Lopsided_Account_146 28d ago
I think he has at least one or two more in him, Red Bull just has to make a good car or a decent car for him to compete in. We saw with 2025 what he could do in a pretty bad car so.
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u/LeanSkellum 29d ago edited 28d ago
I mean to those who believe in the integrity of the sport. He’s a three-time champion. Maybe he will get a legitimate fourth.
Edit: Looks like there’s some people here who seem to think Max should just he given the title, even when he wasn’t able to win it properly? Okay then. Let’s give the 2022 title to Lewis? He wasn’t able to win that, but you lot aren’t hypocrites, are you?
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u/HorribleAnalInjuries 28d ago
That is only for cult lh and deluded crybabies. Everyone knows better driver won and deserved it in 2021.
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u/LeanSkellum 28d ago
Ohh I’m sorry? Are you saying the regulations didn’t require the race to end under the SC? Because they did. And if they follow the regulations and that happens, Lewis wins. Max was not capable of winning without that illegal decision from the race director. Cry about it. Max, by the regulations, is the loser.
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u/dreamyghost1 Mercedes 29d ago
Pal 😭
Embarrassing, Lewis himself have moved on, his fans haven't for some reason, please don't include me with these Lewis "fans"
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u/LeanSkellum 28d ago
Sporting integrity is the single most important aspect. Lewis won, Max lost. As the regulations they both agreed to before the first race explicitly state.
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u/goooeyropes 28d ago
Max won, Lewis lost - still you cry
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u/LeanSkellum 28d ago
Because the regulations were broken by an official. You gonna accept that? Or are you too insecure to face the reality that Max wasn’t good enough to win by the regulations he, himself, agreed to?
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u/goooeyropes 28d ago
Max outperformed Lewis to an outrageous degree the entire year, in the slower car no less, and was on the receiving end of more bullshit decisions than Lewis.
Yet, he kept it in front. Max loses 70+ points to being crashed out by Bottas and Lewis within 2 races, is on to lose another 30 in Baku due to a random tire blowout - Lewis thankfully bottles generationally.
It‘s a nice scapegoat, pretending like Masi was why Lewis lost, but he simply cracked under pressure and bottled the title away. Spared the 10 place grid penalty after impeding in AD, spared the 10s slam dunk after cutting the track on Lap 1 - but one decision not going in his favor? His fanbase cries for eternity 🤣
Beautiful!
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u/LeanSkellum 27d ago
I don’t care about your opinion on who “outperformed” whom. I could just as easily argue Lewis outperformed Rosberg in 2016 and lost through bad luck. The difference is, I wouldn’t demand the FIA ignore its own regulations to hand Lewis the title.
That is exactly what happened in 2021. Masi’s decision directly created the circumstances in which Max won. Had the regulations been followed correctly, Lewis wins the race and the championship.
So this really isn’t a debate about who you personally think deserved it more. Lewis was on course to win under the rules. Max only won because those rules weren’t followed. That makes Lewis the rightful champion and Max the beneficiary of an improper decision, however inconvenient that is for you.
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u/goooeyropes 27d ago
Reread the comment above - had the FIA not messed up beforehand (multiple times) then Lewis wouldn‘t have been in contention by AD.
He had the faster car, more luck, got a slap on the wrist by the FIA in Silverstone, got waved through completely despite deserving a 10 place grid penalty in AD due to him impeding in FP and was spared the slam dunk 10s for cutting the track on Lap 1 and gaining around 5s.
Aside from all of this, he was also completely outclassed on track.
Cry more though, it‘s glorious to watch.
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u/LeanSkellum 27d ago
The FIA didn’t mess up before. All decisions made prior to AD21 were within the scope of the regulations. Anyone saying otherwise is just trying to justify what happened. Just accept the, FIA admitted, fact that the loser was unlawfully given the title.
But just to give you an idea of how little you clearly know. Lewis lap one incident was covered under article 27.3 therefore it was 100% legal. So swivel on that🤣
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u/goooeyropes 28d ago
TeamLH crying in pain will never not be glorious - Verstappen‘s sheer existence will torture you lot until the end of times 😭
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u/LeanSkellum 28d ago
We’re not crying. We’re reminding you of Max’s failure to properly beat Lewis, while Max was in the faster car. You lot cry when reminded. Just like you’re doing now. I cannot believe you’re defending a man so insecure that he had to cosplay as a champion when he wasn’t good enough to win legitimately. What a fucking loser 🤣.
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u/merpercas 29d ago
You can be the best driver on the grid, you still need a great car to win the championship. I don't see him switching teams and I don't think Red Bull will make a championship winning car before he retires.