Verstappen admits he could quit at 31

Max Verstappen has confirmed rumours that he might retire from Formula 1 at the young age of 31.

The back-to-back reigning world champion, currently 25, is all signed up at Red Bull Racing on a long contract that stretches to the end of 2028.

"If Max has had enough after 2028, he will stop," Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko said recently.

"He is just the type who can make such a decision."

According to the Dutch driver, that’s a correct assessment.

"Yes, I am seriously thinking about it," Verstappen said.

"I know I’m very lucky to drive a Formula 1 car. I can do what I want, but at some point it doesn’t matter. I already have a lot of plans for what I want to do.

"It’s also about quality of life," he explained. "There are other things in life besides Formula 1. I have a contract until 2028 and after that I’ll see.

"I don’t want to spend my best years physically just in Formula 1. With the races multiplying, 23 or 24 a year is far too many."