Max Verstappen admits missing family after being forced to 'live apart'

Max Verstappen has revealed how much he misses his family after F1 keeps him separate from his loved ones for most of the year.

The four-time world champion is certainly family-centric, recently sharing an insight into his summer holiday with new daughter Lily, partner Kelly Piquet and step-daughter Penelope.

Verstappen was also pictured with his mother Sophie Kumpen, sister Victoria and her twin sons Luka and Lio on holiday during this year's summer shutdown, with the extended family appearing extremely close.

In an interview with The Athletic, Verstappen discussed at which age he would retire and admitted that living apart from his family was one of the more difficult elements of being an F1 driver.

"I feel like I’m already missing out so much on just being with my family," Verstappen said.

"I spend holidays with them, but I really miss the moments of just casually rocking up for a weekend or just hanging out on the couch, sitting together on a lazy day, or just after a normal work day.

"We live quite far apart now, (so) these kinds of moments are not possible with my life. I hope one day that it can go back to that."

Verstappen yearns for regular family life

When quizzed on the age he will retire, Verstappen said: "I don’t know when that will stop. Is that 32? Is that 35? 36? I don’t know. It’s impossible to know."

While family is Verstappen’s focus, and even more so since becoming a father earlier this year, racing remains a huge motivation for the champion, and not just in F1.

In previous interviews, the Dutchman has alluded to wanting to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the future and embarked on a GT3 test earlier this year, not to mention his commitment to sim racing during his down-time.

However, a one-off appearance at Le Mans would be nowhere near as commanding as a full-time F1 season and the media commitments piled on top of competing in the sport, freeing up plenty of time for the champion to spend with family.

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