'This keeps the fire going' - Max Verstappen hints at retirement U-turn amid winning streak
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Updated 31/07/2023 at 22:22 GMT+1
Max Verstappen has said that as long as Red Bull continue to provide him with a car capable of winning, he will be motivated to stay in Formula 1. The Dutchman previously appeared to suggest he could walk away from the sport when his current contract expires at the end of the 2028 season. He won his eighth straight race at the Belgian GP as he closes in on a third successive drivers' championship.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing wins P1 at the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 30, 2023 in Spa, Belgium.
Image credit: Getty Images
Max Verstappen says that having a car capable of winning races “keeps the fire going” as he appeared to distance himself from previous claims he would retire at the end of his current contract with Red Bull.
The Dutchman won his eighth race in a row at the Belgian Grand Prix to take a 125-point lead over his team-mate Sergio Perez into the summer break as he closes in on a third successive drivers’ championship crown.
To make his performance all the more impressive around the iconic Spa-Francorchamps, Verstappen started sixth after serving a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his gearbox allowance and still recovered to finish 22 seconds clear of Perez, who lined up second but assumed the lead on the first lap.
Verstappen has previously hinted that he could retire from Formula 1 at the end of his current contract, which expires in 2028 when he will be 31, but admitted it would be tough to walk away if Red Bull continue to provide him with such a dominant car.
“I'm definitely enjoying the moment but at the same time I know that this one at one point will stop, so we need to enjoy keep learning keep trying to improve and I'm trying to implement it again for the next race,” Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.
“This keeps the fire going. If I have to rock up and I have no chance of winning then the fire starts to go away.
“It depends what we what we keep doing every single year but this year, it's looking great. Next year is again a completely different year.”
Despite the winning streak he and Red Bull are on and the serene nature of his victories, Verstappen insisted he is still looking for ways to improve.
“It's not so much about learning about myself, it's just always wanting more and I'm trying to look at every single situation what you could have done better,” he added.
"I know that how I've been brought up as well to always want more and always look at details. Even when people say that it's great or amazing, there are always things that can be done better.”
Horner hails Verstappen's 'once in a generation' run
Red Bull have won every single race of the 2023 Formula 1 season so far and, such is their level of dominance, could realistically become the first team to complete a clean sweep.
After the race in Belgium, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner acknowledged the predictability might not be what the fans want to see, but hailed Verstappen as a “once in a generation” driver.
“He is levels of superiority over everybody at the moment. What we are witnessing with Max at the moment is something you see once in a generation,” Horner said.
“Like all the great drivers, he has that extra capacity. His ability to read a tyre, read the race and extract absolutely everything out of it, it's great to see. He's at the top of his form at the moment.”
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