Max Verstappen failed to confirm whether his long-term future remained with Red Bull ahead of this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix.
Verstappen, who leads the Formula One drivers' championship by 78 points to McLaren's Lando Norris, joined the team in 2016 and has since won three world titles.
This weekend's race in Zandvoort will be Verstappen's 200th in the competition, becoming the 23rd driver to reach that tally while also surpassing Alain Prost (199).
During that time, the 26-year-old has won 61 times, reaching 107 podiums while also amassing 2863.5 points in the process.
But when asked if he would compete in another 200 races, Verstappen said: "No. We are past halfway for sure but it's been already an incredible ride.
"It doesn't feel like 200 races, but we do a lot of races in the year, so you add them quite quickly."
The three-time world champion put pen to paper on a new deal with the Austrian-based team in 2022, keeping him with them until at least the end of 2028.
But the Dutchman has been touted as a possible replacement for Lewis Hamilton, who will join Ferrari in 2025, at Mercedes.
"2028 is far away," said Verstappen on whether he could be persuaded to stay in F1 beyond his current contract.
"In my mind at the moment, I'm not thinking about a new contract. I want to see how it goes and see the new regulations to see if it's fun or not," he said.
"Then even in 2026 and 2027, there's a lot of time to decide what happens. I keep everything open and am quite easy-going about it."
Verstappen has struggled since his win at the Spanish Grand Prix five races ago, with the field the most competitive it has been in recent years.
However, he did come from 11th on the grid to beat championship rival Norris to fourth place last time out at the Belgian Grand Prix, but he isn't thinking about his points advantage ahead of this weekend's home race.
"If you look at the championship, Lando is the closest challenger, but lately you can see there are a lot of cars winning races," said Verstappen.
"It's very unknown, very close and attention to detail, getting the car in the right operating window, can really make a difference."
DRIVERS TO WATCH
Max Verstappen - Red Bull
While his future may not be certain, one thing is for sure. Verstappen is out to reclaim his place back on the top step on home turf.
The championship leader has won each of the last three races in Zandvoort, all three from pole position. If he repeats that on Sunday, he will equal Jim Clark as the driver with the most wins at this grand prix.
However, Verstappen has not won any of the last four races. He hasn't gone five without a win since the 2020 season, enduring an 11-race drought from Spain to Sakhir.
He has only one pole position in the last seven F1 races. If he fails to qualify fastest in the Netherlands, he will have gone as many grands prix without a pole position as in his previous 24 races.
Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes
The seven-time world champion has shown signs of promise in recent weeks, picking up the most points in the last five races (95).
During that time, he has accumulated the biggest average points difference in those races compared to the first nine races of the 2024 season (12.9 - 19 from the Spanish GP to 6.1 until the Canadian GP).
The Brit has four podiums in the last five races (3rd in Spain, 1st in Great Britain, 3rd in Hungary and 1st in Belgium), one fewer than in the previous 28.
Should he find himself in the top three this time around, it will be the first time he has managed four consecutive podiums since 2022 between Canada and Hungary (five).
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 277
Lando Norris (McLaren) - 199
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 177
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 167
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - 162
Constructors
Red Bull - 408
McLaren - 366
Ferrari - 345
Mercedes - 266
Aston Martin - 73
Hamilton could 'take a holiday' after Sao Paulo disappointment
Lewis Hamilton says he "could happily go and take a holiday" instead of finishing the season after a dismal showing at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
He made early exits in both qualifying sessions and started the race at Interlagos from 15th on the grid.
However, unlike Max Verstappen, who impressively won the race having started in 17th, the Brit struggled to mount much of a fight, coming away from the weekend with just one point after finishing in 10th.
His performance was made to look worse as team-mate George Russell had been battling for the lead but narrowly missed out on a podium place as he finished fourth.
Hamilton only has three races left with Mercedes before his move to Ferrari next season, bringing an end to their 12-year partnership.
But he was left frustrated in Brazil, expressing his disappointment with the car.
"We were just slow," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. "The car was really, really tough. I do really want to say still a big thank you to the guys in the garage. They turned up super early this morning and still did a great job throughout the weekend.
"The team could have won also, so at least one car was behaving a lot better.
"The car is like a plank of wood. It's like no suspension.
"It's bouncing on the tyres everywhere, and you can't get on the power anywhere. It's just the worst ride, I think the worst ride that we've definitely ever had, particularly through corners. It's just so stiff.
"But hopefully we won't have any more bumpy tracks. I think the last three aren't so bumpy. But yeah, I could happily go and take a holiday."
Norris claims Verstappen 'got lucky' in Brazil as title hopes fade
Lando Norris said Max Verstappen benefitted from a rule "no one agrees with" as he won a dramatic Sao Paulo Grand Prix to leave the McLaren's title hopes hanging by a thread.
Verstappen surged to a terrific victory from 17th on the grid in Brazil, with Norris faltering after starting on pole.
Norris and Mercedes' George Russell – who were vying for the lead – both pitted on lap 29, but that strategy backfired as the red flag was shown following a crash involving Franco Colapinto.
With the race suspended, Verstappen was also able to change tires for the restart, negating Norris' advantage from pitting as the world champion raced to a commanding victory.
Norris had cut Verstappen's drivers' championship lead to 44 points by winning Saturday's sprint race but now sits 62 points adrift with just three races of the season remaining.
The Brit refused to hit out at McLaren's strategy after the race, though, putting his struggles down to bad luck.
"I have faith in the team in what they are saying and they have trust in me," he told Sky Sports F1.
"It was just unlucky. I don't care about the hindsight side of things, that's luck for them, nothing more.
"They got lucky on a rule that no one agrees with. Probably they agreed with it today but every driver has disagreed with it in the past.
"Today it benefitted them, it could have benefitted us if we just stayed out, but that's a stupid thing to think of.
"Just a bit unlucky today, nothing more. Of course, disappointing. Max drove well. He got a bit lucky but that's life."
Verstappen 'wanted to destroy' Red Bull garage before Sao Paulo triumph
Max Verstappen revealed he wanted to destroy the Red Bull garage in the hours before he delivered a wet-weather performance for the ages to win the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Verstappen had been left frustrated after Sunday's delayed qualifying session, when a crash by Lance Stroll and subsequent red flag saw him drop out of Q2.
The Dutchman's early exit saw him finish 12th, but a five-place grid penalty for an engine change dropped him to 17th, presenting an opportunity for Lando Norris to take a seismic chunk out of his drivers' championship lead.
But a determined Verstappen then overcame the rain-affected conditions at Interlagos, climbing to P11 on the very first lap before making his charge into the top 10.
His remarkable comeback, which included five consecutive fastest laps, culminated in him passing Alpine’s Esteban Ocon for the lead on lap 43 before romping to victory.
“My emotions were all over the place, from wanting to destroy the garage (after qualifying) to winning the race,” said Verstappen. “It has been a roller coaster.
“It is unbelievable to win here from so far back on the grid. I was expecting to lose points in the championship.
"Now, I just want clean races. But I am not thinking about clinching the title in Vegas.”
A rain-affected race saw several incidents, with Lance Stroll, Alex Albon, Nico Hulkenberg, Franco Colapinto and Carlos Sainz all failing to finish the race.
But Verstappen remained calm in those conditions, snapping his 10-race winless streak, while also becoming the first driver since Kimi Raikkonen at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2005 to emerge victorious after gaining 16 positions.
And the three-time world champion believed his latest win, which was his 62nd in the competition, was his best one to date.
“The rain came, we stayed out, which was very sketchy, and I had to just keep the car on track,” continued Verstappen.
“It was undriveable in the conditions. I felt like I was driving a boat, or a jet-ski.
“There was a lot at stake because I had to be aware of the championship, so for me this is the best one (victory).
"And it is a massive boost for the team because it has been a tough period.”
Verstappen is now 62 points clear of Norris in the drivers' championship with just 86 points remaining, and can win a fourth consecutive drivers' title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
However, he insisted that the season was far from over, acknowledging he must remain perfect in the final three races to get over the line after an up and down season.
“Now it’s of course a great result, which if you look a few hours ago, was definitely the other way around, looking like we were going to lose a lot of points," he said.
“So I’m very happy, but still three tough races [to go], so we just need to stay calm and make no mistakes.
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