Why former Max Verstappen mechanic expects him to ‘call it a day’ in F1 at the end of the 2025 season

Max Verstappen is already a four-time world champion at the age of 27. On paper, he has an excellent shot at becoming the most successful F1 driver ever.

Verstappen currently looks unlikely to win the championship this year. He’s slipped 49 points off leader Oscar Piastri after finishing P10 at the Spanish GP (as a result of a penalty for colliding with George Russell).

That margin is recoverable in 15 races, but McLaren’s pace is ominous. Even Verstappen himself has repeatedly said that he’s not a contender on current form.

Thus, his streak may come to an end at four, falling one short of Michael Schumacher’s all-time record. The upcoming regulation changes mean next year’s pecking order is unpredictable, and Red Bull face the biggest leap into the unknown as they build their first engine in-house.

Even if Christian Horner’s squad struggle in the new era, though, Verstappen’s talent is such that he can effectively pick a seat elsewhere and resume his dominance. But this is a driver who has expressed little interest in breaking records.

Calum Nicholas backs Max Verstappen to win the 2025 title – and then walk away from F1

Speaking on Lucas Stewart’s YouTube channel, former Red Bull mechanic Calum Nicholas made a huge prediction about Verstappen’s career.

“Fill in the blank,” he was asked. “Max Verstappen will finish his career with… world championships?”

“Five,” he replied. “I think Max is going to win this year, and then I think he’s going to call it a day. I definitely don’t know anything, but to not back Max [for the title] is just lunacy, I think.”

Five titles would see Verstappen overtake Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost and move level with Juan Manuel Fangio. But he’d still be two behind Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.

Verstappen has recently welcomed his first child and has also pursued other racing interests outside of F1. Most notably, he tested a GT3 car at the Nurburgring under the pseudonym ‘Franz Hermann’.

Max Verstappen is too clever to make the same mistake as Fernando Alonso

There was talk earlier this year that Verstappen could take a sabbatical in 2026. That would allow him to assess the competitive landscape before a potential comeback.

Indeed, if a driver of his stature were to leave in his theoretical prime, there would no doubt be incessant speculation about a return.

F1 insiders have noticed that Verstappen has become ‘disgruntled’ in recent times. He loves driving, but he doesn’t like the ‘show’ connected to the sport.

There’s also talk that he could stay in F1 for 2026 but race in different colours. However, Guenther Steiner says Verstappen is ‘too smart’ to rush into a move like his idol Fernando Alonso did when McLaren and Honda reunited in 2015.