Author: Barkha Roy
Christian Horner, head of the Red Bull Formula One team, has expressed his opinion that Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, will not continue racing in the sport beyond the age of 40, unlike Fernando Alonso.
Christian Horner’s comments followed Max Verstappen’s statement about his possible retirement from Formula 1 when his current contract with the team ends in 2028. Verstappen also expressed that he may consider leaving the sport earlier than planned if there are frequent changes to the format of the sport.
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The team boss predicts that his star driver won’t be in the sport beyond the age of 40, unlike Fernando Alonso, who is still going strong despite being 41. He does, however, believe that the Dutchman will not be ruled out before his contract expires in 2028.
“Max is his own man and he is very, very strong in his opinions and in his vision of what he wants to do with his life“, said Horner. “And I don’t see him being a Fernando Alonso and still racing at the age of 41 or 42, or maybe not in Formula 1, but his love and passion is racing“.
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At the age of 25, Max Verstappen has taken part in 166 Grand Prix races since his debut with Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) in 2015. He has a remarkable record in the sport, with 22 pole positions, 37 wins and 80 podiums, as well as winning two World Drivers’ Championship titles. Verstappen is currently in line to add another championship title to his name this season.
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In addition, Christian Horner has guaranteed that the team’s technical director, Adrian Newey, will remain at Red Bull for a significant period. Newey is credited with changing the team’s fortunes, which facilitated Verstappen’s back-to-back victories in the Drivers’ Championship. Having previously worked with Williams and McLaren, Newey has been associated with Red Bull Racing since 2005.
After a three-week break, F1 is due to resume in Baku on April 28. Red Bull’s Verstappen currently leads the Drivers’ Championship with 25 points, seven more than the next driver on the list, Lewis Hamilton, with 18 points.