Max Verstappen opens up on 'more serious' racing exploits away from F1

Credit for photo: SRO/JEP — Photo: © IMAGO

Max Verstappen opens up on 'more serious' racing exploits away from F1

Max Verstappen has many off-track passions

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Monday 12 January 2026 17:01

Max Verstappen has spoken out about his racing projects outside of F1, claiming they are getting 'more serious'.

Verstappen managed to win eight grands prix in 2025 - more than any other driver - but he also claimed a race win in another racing series, GT3.

The Dutchman also entered his own team - Verstappen.com Racing - into the GT World Challenge Europe Gold Cup, taking on a team ownership role.

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Thierry Vermeulen, Harry King, and Chris Lulham - who comes from a sim racing background - were Verstappen's drivers in the team, and they managed to claim Gold Cup success, something that Verstappen set out as their target for 2025.

Now, the 28-year-old wants the team to compete in the pro car level of the championship, revealing that his GT Racing project is getting 'bigger and better'.

"Yeah, it's becoming more and more serious," Verstappen told Red Bull's YouTube channel. "We entered this year not as a pro car but in the Gold Cup and one of the drivers came from the sim racing world so for me to put him immediately in the pro car championship was probably a bit much.

"Next year we want to be in the pro championship basically, we're changing cars, you will find out soon, but yeah it's getting bigger and better."

How long will Verstappen race in F1?

Verstappen has many passions away from F1, with sim racing, GT Racing and a desire to one day compete in the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans race just to name a few.

On top of this, Verstappen also has a young family, following his partner Kelly Piquet giving birth earlier this year.

The length of Verstappen's career may well rest upon how long he can be challenging for championships for, with the Dutchman unlikely to be wanting to run in the midfield.

In a recent interview, the champion suggested that he may only race in the sport for another five seasons, if the calendar remains as demanding as it currently is.

"I don't see myself driving in Formula 1 until I'm 44, let alone with 24 races per season," he told Viaplay in an end of season interview. "Even being in F1 at 34 would be too much."

There's no doubt, however, that his other passions will continue to bring him joy in the years to come, with his team ownership role really ramping up.

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