When Max Verstappen expressed his lack of interest in oval racing considering his career graph, it was understandable. But now he’s not happy in his own sport thanks to the new regulations, and the ‘mad Max’ from all those years ago seems to be returning. With him seriously considering retirement, insiders suggest Jim France give Verstappen a blank check, or a more realistic value.

NASCAR insiders’ appeal to have Max Verstappen

“100 million,” said Jordan Bianchi, responding to Jeff Gluck’s question of what NASCAR would have to pay Max Verstappen to get him to race in the series. Verstappen has been openly criticizing the 2026 regulations in Formula 1, which have been focused too much on battery deployment and recharge, almost destroying the overall point of racing.

Most famously, Verstappen also claimed that the new Formula 1 cars were Formula E cars ‘on steroids,’ gaining massive attention on social media.

Bianchi also claimed that the France family is not short on money. Quoting the example from NASCAR’s antitrust lawsuit, he suggested that it wouldn’t be difficult for Jim France to poach Verstappen into NASCAR in the future.

“Listen, if we learned anything throughout the NASCOURT, we learned that Jim France has got some money. Like, the coffers at NASCAR are full. Like, tap into that, man, bring Max over here.”

This idea does sound exciting. Max Verstappen gained global attention after dominating the 2022 and 2023 Formula 1 seasons, winning with a massive margin. This was also the time when Red Bull Racing was at its peak. While the domination began wearing off in 2024, he still managed to win his fourth consecutive F1 World Championship.

However, more has changed this season than just the regulations. Red Bull’s challenger has seemed to have lost all the competitive advantage they had over the other teams in the past seasons. While the new aero regulations are one reason to blame it, it should also be considered that the team is now making its own engines in a partnership with Ford. Moreover, they don’t have the genius of Adrian Newey anymore, who designed cars that helped them to dominate through the years.

Understandably, this is drifting Verstappen away from the sport. He recently said, “You ​also wait for 24 races. This (season) it’s 22. But normally ​24. ⁠And then you just think about is it worth it? Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family? Seeing my friends more when you’re ⁠not enjoying ​your sport?”

It seems apparent that Max Verstappen is hinting at a potential retirement. However, will he move to NASCAR? He has already been participating in GT races and has showcased immense interest in the same. So even if he planned to switch series, he would instead choose that. But then again, he isn’t the only F1 driver who has ever switched after retirement.

F1 drivers who switched to NASCAR

Throughout history, there have been many drivers who moved to NASCAR after hanging up their helmets in Formula 1. One of the most prominent and successful examples of the same is Juan Pablo Montoya. He left Formula 1 in 2006 and moved to the Cup Series full-time with Chip Ganassi Racing. He even won a few races and was rather competitive on the field. He retired in 2014 but returned in 2024 to run one race for 23XI Racing.

Then there was also Nelson Piquet Jr., who moved to NASCAR, winning races in the Truck and NOAP Series after putting an end to his F1 campaign in 2009. Interestingly, Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 F1 World Champion, also ran two races for Trackhouse Racing in 2022 and 2023 in the Cup Series. However, it was more of a one-time participation rather than a full-time run.

History proves that there have been drivers who have moved to NASCAR after finishing their Formula 1 careers. However, it isn’t very common because it can be rather difficult for them to adapt to oval racing after having spent decades racing on circuits. Hence, the likes of Max Verstappen look forward to GT Racing or other similar series, where their prior F1 skillset proves to be useful.