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Max Verstappen is not happy with the current Formula 1 ruleset and previously indicated that, even if he stays competitive, he wonβt stay in F1 forever. As far as where the four-time champion might go next, rallying isnβt on the list.
Maxβs father Jos started rallying in 2022 and has proven competitive, winning last yearβs Belgian championship. Thatβs given the younger Verstappen more of an appreciation for the sport, but as he explained in a recent appearance on the Up To Speed podcast (the relevant part is around the 20-minute mark), heβs not willing to take the risk of trying it himself.
Clive Rose β Formula 1
βWhen we rent a little space on an airport, they set up a track and we drive together,β Verstappen said. βHonestly, I have to go flat out to beat him on a lap. And that I like doing.
βBut on a proper stageβ¦ I mean he shares [with] me all the videos heβs doing in whatever kind of rally car heβs driving, I find it impressive, I think itβs really cool. But I just think about if I make a mistake and I hit that tree, the tree is not moving.
βThat for me is like my limit, thatβs something I donβt want to do. Itβs too high of a riskβand I know it sounds maybe a bit sillyβbut in Formula 1 most of the time when you crash there is a properly-designed barrier that should absorb the impact a bit more.β
Max Verstappen Talks About Life Outside of F1 | Up To Speed
Itβs not silly at all. It wasnβt a massive crash at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix that derailed Robert Kubicaβs F1 career (he won that race the following year, his only grand prix win), but a 2011 rallying accident in which a metal barrier skewered the Poleβs Ε koda Fabia. Kubica beat the odds by returning to F1 in 2019 and scoring a single point in a back-marker Williams, and would go on to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Ferrari, but a promising F1 stint with the Scuderia never happened.
Verstappenβs post-F1 career is more likely to center around sports cars. He made his GT racing debut at the NΓΌrburgring Nordschleife last fall, and told The Drive in a 2024 interview that endurance racing is highly appealing to him. It would definitely be something to see Verstappen follow in the footsteps of Graham Hill and Fernando Alonso by tackling Le Mans as an F1 champ, but personally, Iβm hoping he chooses NASCAR.
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Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he’s not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read.
