Max Verstappen to race in NASCAR? Red Bull driver shares his thoughts about trading F1 for American series

Max Verstappen stated that the American motorsport series NASCAR wasn't something that interested him, but he had a lot of respect for drivers racing in that series. NASCAR and IndyCar are two of the most popular Motorsport series in the United States of America and attract dozens of drivers from across the world.

Many former F1 drivers like Romain Grosjean, Marcus Ericsson, and, most recently, Kimi Raikkonen, have tried their hand at racing in the USA. However, reigning two-time world champion Max Verstappen revealed that he did not really grow up with NASCAR and the Oval in his early years. Speaking to Mobil1, he said:

"I like to watch it but I'll probably stick to watching. I have a lot of respect for what they do. I didn't really grow up with it so I am not really a big fan of ovals but I like to watch it at home."

The Dutch driver also opined on the IndyCar series and praised the drivers for doing crazy things in the series, adding:

"Also IndyCar, for example, it's really crazy what these guys do. Of course, I know a few guys out there as well, so it is nice to stay in touch but probably not for me."

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Max Verstappen is in a very good mental state right now - Juan Pablo Montoya

Former McLaren F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya stated that Max Verstappen will once again be the favorite to win the championship in 2023. The Dutch driver has won back-to-back World Championships in the last two seasons, driving for Red Bull.

The Columbian revealed that the 25-year-old is currently in a great mental space, stating:

"I would say they are quite high. I think Max is in a very good mental state right now. He knows he can beat anyone. When you're in that position and you have the team to do it, he's good and he's doing the job. Last year, he had to improve his game."

While talking about facing competition from Sergio Perez, Montoya did not mince his words and claimed that Max Verstappen was clearly the better driver between the pair, he said:

"If you look at the beginning of the year, when Max didn't feel comfortable and 'Checo' could drive him (at Red Bull), 'Checo' was faster than him. Is 'Checo' a better driver than Max? The truth is no. He's a very good driver but I don't think he's at Max's level. But he could drive it and Max couldn't."

Meanwhile, Perez has expressed his desire to offer stiff competition to his Dutch teammate, and the 2023 season will be proof of that.