F1: Verstappen ‘most nervous he’s felt’ when learning to drift cars
Max Verstappen’s old performance engineer believes that a surprise move from Red Bull to Mercedes could prevent the Dutchman from quitting F1 early. Verstappen has simply been in a league of his own this year, having taken victory at all but two Grand Prix weekends.
The 25-year-old has won several races by a margin of 20 seconds or more, which has often seen him driving around at the front with nobody near him on track. Former Red Bull staffer Blake Hinsley believes that Verstappen is now racing with only perfection in mind and could soon get bored of having no real competition, an issue which could be solved by a shock move to Mercedes.
Hinsley told the Sky Sports F1 podcast: “What else does Max need to strive for apart from absolute perfection, 10 out of 10 every weekend? Max’s goal now is to pole, race wins, fastest lap, lead as many laps as possible. When that becomes very likely to happen, what do you have to do [to keep motivation]?
“Let’s say you are driving a Mercedes right now, the car is not great and it is a way off winning the championship right now. Which one of those has more hooks to keep you invested? Maybe a couple of years in a slower car and lots of challenges would reignite some of that.”
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A move to Mercedes would seem unlikely for Verstappen given the rivalry that has emerged between Red Bull and the Silver Arrows over the years. He also remains tied down to his current employers until 2028, which means that any change of scenery would probably have to wait until then.
There is also a chance he could retire before signing a new deal with Red Bull or any other team after insisting back in February that he has achieved everything he wanted to in F1, with other aspects of life potentially taking higher priority further down the line.
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“The problem is that we are traveling so much and it’s getting more and more,” said Verstappen in an interview with CNN. “Basically, the question is, is it worth it to spend so much time away from family and friends by chasing more success?
“I already achieved everything I wanted in Formula One, but I know I have a contract until 2028. I’ll be 31. It’s still pretty young, but like I said, I also want to do different things in life.”
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