F1 News: Max Verstappen Bored Of Winning - "It Won't Keep Me Here Forever"

The Red Bull driver isn't worried about records or numbers. He just wants a challenge.

After yet another dominant qualifying session at the Canadian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen takes his 25th pole of his career ahead of Fernando Alonso in P2 and Lewis Hamilton in P3. Now, talking to Forbes Sport, the Dutch driver admits that he's getting tired of winning, adding that "it's not something that will keep me here forever".

The Red Bull driver is seemingly unstoppable when paired with his RB19, taking almost every win this season so far. Even his teammate, Sergio Perez, struggles to challenge the young driver who currently holds the longest contract on the grid. 

After a challenging and dangerous qualifying session, Max is looking forward to hopefully bringing in his team's 100th win this weekend. But he's not searching for numbers.

“For me, honestly, about these records or goals, I just try to enjoy the moment because I know that in Formula 1 these things can change very quickly from year to year.

“I always say winning is great, and we’re very focused every race that we get the best out of it, but it’s also very important to enjoy what you’re doing because time goes by so quickly in this sport as well that sometimes you might forget about it.”

Verstappen is one of very few drivers who not only competes in the Formula 1 World Championship, but sim racing championships, too. In fact, he's known for his dominance in real life and on the simulator, with him winning multiple championships in a number of different leagues. It's no surprise then to hear that he's interested in opening himself up to other leagues in real life, too.

“Some people love racing because that’s the only thing they do, really,” Verstappen admitted. “For me, I love racing, I still do, but I also want to do other things and not only Formula 1 at some stage. 

"Of course I know that this is the pinnacle and the highest you can achieve, but you also set a bit of a different perspective. Now that I’ve won two titles, if I wouldn’t have won them, you keep on trying—you keep trying to achieve something like that. 

"Now that I’ve done so, it’s nice and it’s nice to win another one and another one, but basically it’s the same thing. It’s not something that will keep me here forever."

With F1 looking to extend its racing calendar to 25 races next year, and in the future talks of up to 30 races, many of the drivers and others involved in the industry are complaining of burnout. Max is taking this into consideration when he looks forward at his career.

“It’s more about if I can motivate myself every single year to the fullest to be here because with the race calendar being so long, you’re away from family and friends a lot as well.

"I find that at what point what is more important: is it winning races and being away from them or is it actually being at home and spending time with those dearest and closest to you in a time in your life when you’re fully fit, very active and you can still do anything you want?

“Maybe if you look back at it and if you stayed in F1 until you’re 40 or whatever, it might be that you were like ‘Maybe I stayed too long and didn’t spend enough time with my close ones,’ so it’s still something that’s a big question mark for me and how long I will stay in the sport.”

Verstappen certainly has nothing to prove. His performance alone tells us that he is one of the greats. But with him contracted to Red Bull through 2028, he won't be going anywhere yet. But it won't be a surprise to see him leaving to explore other avenues within the racing industry.