{"id":569208,"date":"2026-03-29T19:15:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T19:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/569208\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T19:15:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T19:15:10","slug":"380m-f1-star-max-verstappen-considering-bombshell-retirement-at-28","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/569208\/","title":{"rendered":"$380M F1 star Max Verstappen considering bombshell retirement at 28"},"content":{"rendered":"

Formula 1 superstar Max Verstappen could hit the brakes at year\u2019s end.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Red Bull driver said he has considered retiring from F1 at the end of the 2026 \u2014 two years before the end of his lucrative contract \u2014 admitting that he\u2019s \u201cnot enjoying the sport\u201d after a disappointing eighth-place finish at Saturday\u2019s Japanese Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

While he has frequently left his racing future undecided, the four-time world champion, 28, has grown increasingly critical of the direction F1 is heading \u2014 which has seemingly caused his once-burning passion to taper.\u00a0<\/p>\n

F1 star Max Verstappen is considering retirement at the end of 2026. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Asked after the race by BBC Sport<\/a> if that meant he was planning to walk away after the season, he delivered a bombshell: \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m saying. I\u2019m thinking about everything inside this paddock.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrivately, I\u2019m very happy,\u201d he assured. \u201cYou also wait for 24 races. This time it\u2019s 22, but normally 24. And then you just think about is it worth it? Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family? Seeing my friends more when you\u2019re not enjoying your sport?\u201d<\/p>\n

Verstappen hasn\u2019t held back his frustration with F1\u2019s controversial new regulations, likening the smaller, lighter cars to \u201cMario Kart\u201d and labeling them \u201canti-racing.\u201d<\/p>\n

He reiterated his stance to BBC by underscoring that his potential retirement has nothing to do with his current form.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Max Verstappen driving for team Red Bull at the F1 Japanese Grand Prix. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI can easily accept to be in P7 or P8 where I am,\u201d he said. \u201c\u2026But at the same time when you are in P7 or P8 and you are not enjoying the whole formula behind it, it doesn\u2019t feel natural to a racing driver.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course I try to adapt to it, but it\u2019s not nice the way you have to race,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s really anti-driving. Then at one point, yeah, it\u2019s just not what I want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Should he decide to walk away, the Dutch star would retire as one of the most decorated racers in F1\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

Verstappen\u2019s 71 race wins \u2014 all before his 29th birthday \u2014 trail only Lewis Hamilton (105) and Michael Schumacher (91) for the all-time lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Max Verstappen celebrates after winning 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Getty Images<\/p>\n

He\u2019d also retire as one of the richest.<\/p>\n

Verstappen, who joined Red Bull in 2019, inked a five-year, $275 million extension that he signed in 2022 \u2014 one of the most expensive deals in the sport\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

According to F1 Salaries<\/a>, Verstappen has a $65 million base salary with potential on-track earnings of $76 million, along with an estimated sponsorship income of $25 million-$40 million annually \u2014 yielding potential yearly earnings of around $116 million, trailing only Lewis Hamilton\u2019s estimated $160 million per year with Ferrari. Verstappen could reach roughly $380 million in career earnings by the end of 2026, according to Spotrac.<\/p>\n

Despite potentially leaving a hefty sum on the table, Verstappen \u2014 whose net worth already sits around $210 million, according to F1 Salaries \u2014 was adamant that he never got into racing for the money in the first place.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be here to have fun and have a great time and enjoy myself. At the moment that\u2019s not really the case,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course I do enjoy certain aspects,\u201d Verstappen went on. \u201cI enjoy working with my team. It\u2019s like a second family. But once I sit in the car it\u2019s not the most enjoyable unfortunately. I\u2019m trying. I keep telling myself every day to try and enjoy it. It\u2019s just very hard.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026It\u2019s a bit sad to be honest that we\u2019re even talking about this,\u201d he concluded. \u201cIt is what it is. You don\u2019t need to feel sorry for me. I\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Formula 1 superstar Max Verstappen could hit the brakes at year\u2019s end.\u00a0 The Red Bull driver said he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":569209,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":[49,48,578,576,577,82],"class_list":["post-569208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=569208"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569208\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/569209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=569208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=569208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=569208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}