Former Red Bull Racing technician, Calum Nicholas, has shared his belief that Max Verstappen will call it quits on his F1 career after the conclusion of the 2025 season. The Briton also backed Verstappen to win the drivers’ title yet again this year.
Max Verstappen has won the last four driver championships in a row. The Dutch driver has dominated the current era of F1, along with Red Bull. Still, there are constant rumors surrounding the driver, regarding an earlier than usual retirement.
Verstappen has always hinted that he would consider retiring earlier than most other F1 drivers. The 27-year-old has highlighted the importance of spending time with his family, ranking it over any success he achieves on track. With the birth of his baby girl, the driver now has even more reason to retire from F1 for good.
Former F1 technician, Calum Nicholas, has hinted that the reigning F1 champ could well retire after lifting his fifth drivers’ title at the end of the ongoing season. Speaking on Lucas Stewart’s Youtube channel, Nicholas stated the following:
“I think Max is going to win the Drivers’ this year, and then I think he’s going to call it a day.”
When asked if he had some inside information regarding the same, Nicholas replied:
“No, I definitely don’t know anything.” [via PlanetF1]
Verstappen’s championship bid in 2025 looks to be a weak one as things stand. The Dutch driver is already 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri in the driver’s standings.
Verstappen has still been able to compete with the two McLaren drivers occasionally this season. But the Papaya machine looks to be nearly invincible in 2025. The 4x world champion has still managed to achieve two race wins and three pole positions this year. Hence, he cannot be counted out this early on in the season.
Calum Nicholas calls it “lunacy” to bet against Max Verstappen in 2025 title race
Calum Nicholas also claimed that to not back Max Verstappen in the 2025 F1 championship is simply “lunacy.” The Red Bull man currently sits third in the drivers’ championship, with a larger points gap to the driver ahead of him [Lando Norris] than to the one behind [George Russell].
Speaking on the aforementioned podcast, Nicholas warned those who are betting on Verstappen not being able to retain his championship in 2025.
“To not back Max is just like lunacy, I think.” said Nicholas.
With four titles to his name, Verstappen is already a modern day F1 great. But the Dutchman is still only 27 years old. Many fans and experts believe that he could potentially go on to beat the 7 world championships record, if he stays in the sport long enough. But nobody knows the exact date of his departure from F1. It can be presumed that he is not going to be hanging around in the paddock for too long.
