Max Verstappen has spoken about when he plans to bring his Formula 1 career to a close amid growing uncertainties over his Red Bull future.
Verstappen, 27, is already one of the finest drivers in the sport's rich history, having won four world championships in a row.
However, his run of consecutive titles looks likely to end this season, with McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris the favourites to clinch the big prize.
Looking ahead, Verstappen's future remains uncertain, especially with the ongoing struggles at Red Bull.
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The Milton Keynes-based outfit recently parted ways with Christian Horner after 20 years, replacing him with Laurent Mekies, who has been promoted from sister team Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.
Meanwhile, Verstappen was recently linked with a move to Mercedes after Toto Wolff admitted interest before the Austrian Grand Prix.
However, the Mercedes boss appeared to make a U-turn this week.
Speaking to Austrian ORF, as per GPBlog, Wolff said: "The direction we want to take is to continue with George and Kimi. That's our top priority. Everyone is informed."
With a move to Mercedes now seemingly on the back burner, Verstappen spoke about when he plans to retire.
What has Max Verstappen said about his future?
The Dutchman admitted last year to SPORTbible that he had achieved everything he wanted to in F1 and stated his intentions to try other forms of racing.
But speaking to The Athletic this week, Verstappen hinted at potentially staying in the sport beyond his 30th birthday.
He said: "People sometimes hang around maybe to create more money, but at the end of the day, that doesn’t come first. It’s important you’re here because of the hunger to win."
Verstappen added that he will race in F1 for as long as he can, providing he still enjoys being in and around the paddock and the team.
The 27-year-old continued: "Some people come here to just get the best out of their car because some don’t have a winning car. But that’s why I think: as long as I can do that, and I’m working with the people that I enjoy working with, then, yeah, we’ll drive.
"I don’t know when that will stop. Is that 32? Is that 35? 36? I don’t know. It’s impossible to know."
Verstappen will be back in action this weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix, taking place around the Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps.
Topics: Max Verstappen, Formula 1, Red Bull Racing
Marcus Chan