Despite Bagging 2022 Title, Max Verstappen Hopes to Achieve Something That Hasn’t Been Done in 9 Years

To win a world championship is a stuff of dreams for any F1 driver. It’s what they train for so many years, sacrificing what others would call “normal” – all in hope that they can get a shot at the world title. Max Verstappen reached his goal last year, but he isn’t stopping.

Last year was Max Verstappen’s announcement to the world. He let everybody know that there’s a new King in town. He topped that achievement with another world title this year. But there was something different this time around. 

2021 was a season of pulling and tugging, with both Lewis and Max leading the title race at different times of the season. Whereas, 2022 was a complete and utter domination. No one had a chance to even sniff the title, let alone be called an equal contender. 

Max has 12 wins from the 18 races already completed. He sealed the title after his win in Japan. For him, though, the season has not ended. Apart from having a shot at Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel’s (shared) record of most wins in a season (13 wins), he also has his eyes set on the WCC for Red Bull.

He said “It was special to win the drivers ‘title in Japan but I didn’t have the chance to celebrate too much because we are still focused on winning the Constructors’ championship for the team. The ultimate goal is obviously to win both, but we have to keep our heads down: it will come if we continue to perform well. I’m looking forward to the remaining races.”

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Just like the WDC, the race for the WCC seems more like a procession for Red Bull. Another strong result and they could be crowned WCC champions for the first time since 2013.

Could Max Verstappen do an Ashleigh Barty and retire early?

With all the talk about Max’s domination this season, his exit is possibly the last thing that comes to anyone’s mind. But for Max, that’s something that he has to grapple with alongside his successes.

Ashleigh Barty shocked the world when she retired in 2022, whilst being the world No. 1. The 3-time Grand Slam winner retired at the top of the game at just 26 years old when we see tennis players compete till the age of 35-36.

Verstappen seems to be pondering over the same possibility. Unlike Fernando Alonso (aged 41) and Hamilton (aged 37), he said “I don’t see myself driving until I’m 40 because I want to also do other stuff. I’m having a lot of fun with what I’m doing right now and I’m still in F1 for a couple more years… I’m signed until ’28.”

“After that, it also depends how everything is going, but I will probably try to do a few different kinds of racing because it’s important also to try different things.”

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2028 is far into the future. Max would like to enjoy what he is doing at the moment, and so will his fans. Hopefully, he doesn’t retire too soon so that we can enjoy his brilliance on the tracks for longer.