Max Verstappen drops F1 retirement hint as Red Bull star makes contract declaration

Max Verstappen has warned that his next step in may be the "final" move of his career in the sport.

The Dutchman turned 27 last month and so still has plenty of time left in his F1 career - if he wants it. But that seems to be the sticking point right now and the racer has said on several occasions that he is likely to retire from the sport much earlier than might have been expected.

He is contracted to Red Bull until 2028, by which time he will have turned 31. And though won't rule out the idea of signing a new contract with the team - moving to a rival isn't off the table, either - he insists there won't be much more to come on those fronts.

He told the Italian branch of Sky Sports F1: "Everything that awaits in the future is still a long way off and not an issue right now. My next step, if there is one, will be the last."

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Verstappen has been chased by this year, with keen to find the best replacement for Ferrari-bound . The Austrian was also no doubt trying to take advantage of internal conflict at Red Bull, playing up that factor in his public advances towards the triple F1 champion.

But it soon became clear that Verstappen had no intention of moving this year. And Wolff eventually gave up on that long shot and turned instead to the team's own generational talent, promoting promising 18-year-old to race alongside .

Regarding his own future, Verstappen stressed the importance of loyalty and said: "It's very easy to change teams, but I don't want my career to be marked in this way. I don't want to be part of four or five different teams.

"I want to build a long and stable relationship with everyone in the team and I want to feel at home somewhere. Changing teams is not really my thing and it is not something I want to do at this stage of my career."

Regardless, Mercedes' acceptance that they would not prise the Dutchman away from Red Bull this year does not necessarily signify the end of their interest. Wolff has already said that he will keep a communication channel open with and manager Raymond Vermeulen, and it has not gone unnoticed that Russell's contract expires at the end of next season.

Meanwhile, have also been linked with a swoop for Verstappen, having already convinced legendary F1 designer to join their project after he decided to walk away from Red Bull. Billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll hopes Newey can help the team build a quick enough car to tempt top drivers like Verstappen to join the Silverstone-based squad.