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Max Verstappen has said that he might choose to retire from F1 if the quality of his life is affected due to the sport, both on and off the circuit.
Although still young and at the peak of his career, Verstappen has been rather open about his thoughts on retiring from F1. Earlier this season when a new weekend format was decided with two qualifying sessions for the Sprint weekends, Verstappen warned that he might not stick around for too long if such changes be there.
Recently speaking to The Telegraph, the Red Bull driver highlighted the life that exists outside of F1, saying that he would choose it even if he had to retire from the sport.
"There’s so many more things out there anyway. You know, it’s not only about Formula One in life. There will be a day where you wake up and maybe you’re like, ‘I want to do something else.’"
When asked if his decision would depend on having a car capable of winning, he refused:
"No, it’s not only about that. It’s about quality of life in general. Because we are travelling to so many races."
With a record-breaking 24 races marked for the 2024 season, it seems apparent why drivers might be worried about the quality of life outside the sport. Verstappen, though, has a contract with Red Bull till the 2028 season, which he's expected to see out.
Max Verstappen feels it's important to have competitive rivals in F1
The 2023 season was one of utter dominance for Red Bull and Max Verstappen, with the team winning all but one of the 22 races. The Dutchman won 19 of them, while his teammate Sergio Perez won two. The RB19 juggernaut only halted t Singapore.
While this domination might be amazing for a driver, Max Verstappen understands what fans want. He said that it's important for rival teams in F1 to stay competitive because it keeps the racing action intact.
"For me, the important thing is that our rivals make sure they’re competitive enough to battle it out. Because otherwise it doesn’t matter who you put next to each other, there is only one car winning the championship again. And that’s not what you want as a fan."
Max Verstappen said after winning in Abu Dhabi that it would be tough for the team to replicate a season like 2023. However, team principal Christian Horner said after the loss in Singapore that there's still room for improvement.
It's tough to say if the team will continue such domination in 2024 as well as Ferrari and McLaren look to catch up with the runaway champions.
