Max Verstappen will have to adjust his expectations for the coming years after an almost flawless season. The big question is how the Red Bull Racing driver will perform next year, but a season like last year will be difficult. The Dutch themselves also take this into account. In any case, he has until 2028, because his contract runs until then. The question remains whether he will stay at Red Bull afterwards.
“I’m in no hurry to decide,” Verstappen said in conversation with The Times. He is reportedly paid £40 million a year, with performance bonuses on top. “Maybe, I’m not sure,” Verstappen responds with a grin. His approach on the court is known for not holding back. He has made a huge impression in a short time as a three-time world champion.
Thanks a lot to Jos
His mother was one of the best karters in the world as a teenager. “She was very good,” said Verstappen. ‘But then she married my father. I think you definitely need this kind of natural ability and talent to race. Of course, it won’t take you all the way to the top. I owe a lot to my father. It’s just that I grew up in an environment where I was always at the track because of my dad.”
Verstappen can still remember driving with his father in a van to all the karting competitions throughout Europe. ‘I didn’t count all the hours, but it was much more than 10,000 hours. It is also that you grow as a person. It is not true that 20,000 hours is enough, because you may learn a lot with 15,000 or only with 35,000 hours. There are moments in your career when you realize things or that make you a better driver.’
Manage expectations
Verstappen’s pace is currently good. ‘But it can’t always go this way,’ he also knows. ‘The season we have had was perhaps the best seasonal performance in Formula 1, based on statistics and records. So I know it will be very difficult to do even better. I guess I just have to manage my expectations from now on.”
