Max Verstappen: I’m Already Over Halfway Through F1 Career

• Formula 1 returns to competition this weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix after a four-week summer recess.
  

• Max Verstappen, far from talking about retirement, admits he's closer to the finish than the start of his career as he prepares for his 200th career start on Sunday.

• While no driver has reached 400 career starts in Formula 1, Fernando Alonso is close.

F1 World Champion Max Verstappen believes he is already closer to the end of his Formula 1 career than the start as he approaches his 200th Grand Prix in the sport.

Formula 1 returns to competition this weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix after a four-week summer recess, with Verstappen entering the second part of the campaign 78 points clear of McLaren driver Lando Norris.

Verstappen’s home Grand Prix also coincides with his 200th race start, and he was asked if he can envision being around for another 200 races.

“No,” the 26-year-old Verstappen said. “Nice and easy. So we passed halfway for sure, but it's been already, of course, an incredible ride. I mean, it doesn't feel like 200, but of course, we're doing a lot of races now in a year, so you add them quite quickly.”

Verstappen is far from the first driver in their 20s to dismiss talk of a lengthy career—with others eventually staying for longer than they expected when they were youngsters.

While no driver has reached 400 career starts in Formula 1, Fernando Alonso is close. Lewis Hamilton will also likely reach the 400-start milestone. All-time F1 starts leader Alonso is at 391, while Hamilton is at 346 starts.

Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull Racing through the 2028 season.

“Of course ‘28 is still very far away,” Verstappen said. “I just want to see how it goes. Also see the new regulations first, if it’s fun or not. Then even in ‘26 or ‘27 there is a lot of time to decide what happens. I just keep everything open but I’m quite easy going about it.”

Verstappen has won his home Grand Prix from pole position each year since it returned to Formula 1’s calendar in 2021. But while he has been consistent in recent races, while extending his points lead in the process, Verstappen is on a four-race winless streak. That's his longest victory drought since 2020.

“Looking at how the season is at the moment, for sure,” said Verstappen on the prospect of this being his toughest Dutch Grand Prix to date. “It looks like there are many more teams involved that can actually win a race, so for sure I’m not coming into the weekend saying ‘yeah we’re going to win the race.’

“I just want to have a clean weekend, understand it, learn from it. Of course we analyzed a lot over the break and will try to do things a bit different, a little better. We’ll find out over the course of the weekend how that will go.”

Norris is Verstappen’s main challenger in the standings, despite claiming just one win to the world champion’s seven. The McLaren driver is remaining optimistic that he can still contend for overall honors.

“As a driver, of course it’s still in reach but it’s a lot of points and it’s against Max,” Norris said. “I want to be optimistic and say there’s still chances. I know it’s a lot and it’s going to be a very difficult challenge, but with how we’re performing and how I know I can go out and perform when things click and go well, then I still want to believe it’s possible.”