Max Verstappen has revealed some of the non-Formula 1 events he’d like to race in over the coming years, if opportunities arose…
The two-time F1 World Champion has revealed in recent weeks that, over the coming years, he’d like to do some racing outside of the sphere of Formula 1 – even before the end of his current contract with Red Bull Racing, if possible .
Verstappen has always been quite vocal about not wanting to race in Formula 1 “until he’s 40”, and has even hinted he may choose to leave F1 behind when his current deal expires at the conclusion of the 2028 season.
The Dutch driver has made it clear he wants to try racing in different types of machinery, not just single-seaters, and opened up on some ideas he’s interested in when he appeared on TV over the Christmas period.
Verstappen was a guest on Sport and Talk from Hangar-7 on ServusTV, the Red Bull-owned television station in Austria, alongside Helmut Marko, Christian Horner, and former Red Bull F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel.
Chatting about potential future interests, Verstappen revealed some of the legendary sportscar races have piqued his intrigue.
“I would be interested in Le Mans, at some point, or even Daytona,” he said, as quoted by Red Bull’s Speedweek.com.
“But we already have 23 races in Formula 1, and the classic in Le Mans in particular often takes place on the same weekend as a Grand Prix.”
Unsurprisingly, considering the lengthy F1 calendar he’s just finished up in recent weeks, Verstappen isn’t thinking too much about filling his schedule further just yet: “I just want to be at home for a few days after we’ve been on the road for so long – I’m really looking forward to that.”
Verstappen is well known for his love of participating in online endurance sim racing, participating in the likes of the Virtual Le Mans 24 Hours or the Virtual Daytona 24 Hours with his e-racing team, Team Redline. Verstappen was at the wheel and fighting for the win at Le Mans in January 2022, when he crashed out in the final sector, before power supply problems (ie. electricity) prevented Team Redline from participating properly at Daytona.
Reflecting on his own 2022 F1 season, Verstappen revealed his delight at having been able to wrap up the title in Japan at Honda’s home circuit.
Despite Honda not officially supplying Red Bull with engines as of the end of 2021, the power units are still manufactured and shipped from Sakura, with ‘HRC’ decals on the RB18 at the conclusion of the season.
“It was really a great season,” Verstappen reflected.
“I was particularly pleased that we were able to secure the drivers’ title at Suzuka than at the Honda circuit. We hadn’t been to Japan for a while. It all fits perfectly.”
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