Credits: IMAGO / PanoramiC

Max Verstappen heads into the 2024 season as a reigning three-time world champion and the most dominant driver in the sport. But according to David Coulthard, his success will lead to his fire burning out very soon. The Briton sees Verstappen being at the pinnacle of motorsport for another five years at the most.

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As reported by Total Motorsport, Coulthard states that Verstappen will stay in F1 as long as he wants to. On the other hand, he feels that the day he leaves is not very far away. “He’s got at least another good five years in him, some people go off the boil a bit earlier,” he said.

Coulthard brought fellow Briton and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton into the conversation. Hamilton is 39 currently, and is nowhere close to retiring, having signed a multi-year deal with Ferrari starting 2025. Verstappen’s career will be nowhere near as long as Hamilton’s, according to Coulthard.

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These comments are also in line with what Verstappen has often said about his stay in F1. The Dutchman isn’t a huge fan of the hectic schedule, or the commercialization of the sport. His current contract with Red Bull lasts till 2028, at a time when he will be 31 years old. To him, it is a good age to retire.

2028 is still a long time away, and until then, he could break several more records. In the pre-season testing last week, the 26-year-old showed that he is ready to pick up right where he left off in his dominant 2023 campaign. Red Bull looks like the strongest team, and if other teams don’t catch up, the title could be Verstappen’s once again.

Max Verstappen favorite to win titles and break records

In 2023, Red Bull won 21 races out of a possible 22 and Verstappen got 19 of those wins. This was historic, and a staggering achievements which other teams will hope to avoid a repeat of. Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren tried their best to reduce to deficit to Red Bull over the winter break, but it still may not be enough.

Verstappen remains the favorite to win the 2024 world title, but it will likely be a tad more difficult than it was previously. Ferrari showed good pace in pre-season testing, with both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in form. Whether this transpires into a battle between the two outfits or not, is yet to be seen.