{"id":800450,"date":"2026-07-14T03:05:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T03:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/800450\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T03:05:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T03:05:18","slug":"why-max-verstappens-2027-f1-sabbatical-could-land-more-titles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/800450\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Max Verstappen’s 2027 F1 sabbatical could land more titles"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2027 Formula 1<\/a> grid may not contain Max Verstappen<\/a>, and while that\u2019s a disappointment for the fans, it could be wise in the long run.GPBlog understands that the four-time world champion could step away from the sport<\/a> next season amid Red Bull\u2019s struggles before returning at a later date.<\/p>\n

Verstappen has suggested as much in multiple interviews, saying racing under the current engine regulations next season is \u2018not mentally doable\u2019.<\/p>\n

“If it stays like this, it’s going to be a long year next year, which I don’t want. It’s not mentally doable for me to stay like this, it’s really not.”- Max VerstappenOn top of that, Red Bull\u2019s performances haven\u2019t been up to scratch, with the most recent paddock rumours claiming he held talks with McLaren<\/a> over a team swap.<\/p>\n

There were also his flirtations with Mercedes last year, which team principal and CEO Toto Wolff confirmed before Verstappen clawed himself back into the title fight.<\/p>\n

Yet with Verstappen increasingly unhappy<\/a> with the rules on top of his car\u2019s performance, a year out in 2027 remains a possibility, and it\u2019s not exactly unusual.<\/p>\n

So we deemed it time to look at the history of F1 sabbaticals and why it could prove wise, or folly\u2026<\/p>\n

Alain Prost proved patience can pay off<\/p>\n

Formula 1 legend Alain Prost is on the same number of titles as Verstappen, but that may not have been the case without his sabbatical.<\/p>\n

In 1991, the Frenchman lost his drive at Ferrari and took a year out rather than rushing straight back at a lesser team.<\/p>\n

He found himself at Williams after that break, and it proved a genius move, winning his fourth of four titles on his return, proving that it\u2019s sometimes better to wait.<\/p>\n

\"F1-Alain-Prost-mclaren-jpg\"\/<\/p>\n

Prost refused to rush straight back and ended up landing a top seat at Williams as a result (Photo: Race Pictures)<\/p>\n

Niki Lauda’s comeback from F1 boredom<\/p>\n

While Niki Lauda is best known for his brief break after his 1976 horror crash at the Nurburgring that left him permanently scarred, it was a two-year break in 1980 and 1981 that Verstappen could learn most from.<\/p>\n

Uncompetitive at Bernie Ecclestone\u2019s Brabham in 1979, Lauda sounded a lot like 2026 Verstappen when he said he was \u2018bored of driving around in circles\u2019.<\/p>\n

He stepped away mid-season to focus on his airline business, but was tempted back in 1982 with a big money offer from McLaren (hello parallels).<\/p>\n

There, he won his third of three titles, proving that getting away from the F1 grind can be wise.<\/p>\n

\"20150620-0873\"\/<\/p>\n

Like Prost, F1 legend Lauda won another title after his break from F1 (Photo: Race Pictures)<\/p>\n

Kimi Raikkonen’s life outside F1<\/p>\n

One of the most recent cases of an F1 sabbatical was Kimi Raikkonen, who became Ferrari\u2019s last champion in 2007 but found himself surplus to requirements in 2010 when Fernando Alonso was signed.<\/p>\n

Not to worry, though; the Finn was already rallying in his spare time, much like Verstappen\u2019s current endurance ventures in GT3.<\/p>\n

He competed in WRC for the next three seasons along with NASCAR before being tempted back to F1 in 2012.<\/p>\n

Raikkonen showed he certainly still had it with a race win and third-place championship finish in a Lotus in 2012, before a further victory the following year.<\/p>\n

In 2014 he returned to Ferrari to back up Sebastian Vettel and despite another third-place in 2018, some would argue he overstayed his welcome, a mistake it\u2019s hard to imagine Verstappen making.<\/p>\n

He spent 2019 to 2021 at Alfa Romeo, where he often got ratty with the media over his perceived lack of passion.<\/p>\n

\"Kimi<\/p>\n

Raikkonen may not have won another title, but he quickly discovered his form after a break from F1 (Photo: Race Pictures)<\/p>\n

Fernando Alonso shows the risks of an F1 sabbatical<\/p>\n

Taking a sabbatical doesn\u2019t always work out, and the most recent example may serve as a warning to Verstappen.<\/p>\n

The Dutchman hugely admires Fernando Alonso, so he\u2019ll be well aware of his missteps after 2018.<\/p>\n

The two-time champion in 2005 and 2006 never managed his third title despite three second-place finishes at Ferrari who he left for McLaren in 2015.<\/p>\n

That decision proved disastrous and ended with Alonso leaving Formula 1 at the end of 2018.<\/p>\n

Like Verstappen, the Spaniard has plenty of hobbies outside of F1 and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice and World Endurance Championship.<\/p>\n

However, since returning to F1 in 2021 with Alpine he hasn\u2019t come anywhere near another championship let alone a race victory.<\/p>\n

Alonso doesn\u2019t just represent a poor example of an F1 sabbatical, but also the risks of giving up a potentially race-winning car, something Verstappen could certainly be risking by leaving Red Bull for good.<\/p>\n

\"alonso-monaco\"\/<\/p>\n

Verstappen will be wise to plot his career smarter than Alonso (Photo: Race Pictures)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2027 Formula 1 grid may not contain Max Verstappen, and while that\u2019s a disappointment for the fans,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":800451,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":[49,48,578,5105,576,577,1885,2190,82],"class_list":["post-800450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-f1","tag-features","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-max-verstappen","tag-red-bull-racing","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800450","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=800450"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800450\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/800451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=800450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=800450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=800450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}