Max Verstappen, the reigning F1 world champion, is currently the top dog in the sport. He has been dominating his rivals under the current set of regulations but despite his firm grip, ex-Red Bull driver, David Coulthard, believes he won’t last in the sport for as long as Lewis Hamilton has been able to extend his career.

Lewis Hamilton, despite being 39 years old, is still going strong and has not lost out on any of his scintillating pace. He will be 40 when he joins Ferrari next year and considering everything, David Coulthard feels Max Verstappen does not have it in him to keep racing in the sport in his late 30s.

While talking about the same in an interview with Motorsports Total recently, Coulthard said,

So [at] 26 years old, arguably, he’s got at least another good five years in him, some people go off the boil a bit earlier. Max, I think, will be a force in Formula 1 for as long as he wants to remain in Formula 1. Do I see him still being in Formula 1 at 39 or whatever age Lewis is now? Personally, I don’t.

Looking at the reaction of the 52-year-old, he has made it quite clear that in his opinion, Verstappen can quit F1 whenever he feels like it. Moreover, has indicated that the Dutchman has several other things on his checklist that he wants to do other than racing in F1.

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While David Coulthard has played down the prospect of Max Verstappen continuing in F1 in his mid/late 30s, the latter and Lewis Hamilton have not seen much of each other on the track in recent times. 2021 was the last campaign when the duo was seen tussling with each other.

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton (via imago)

Moreover, no one can forget how their 2021 rivalry came to an end on the accursed night in Abu Dhabi. Under the current set of regulations, Mercedes has gone backward on the grid, and this has not allowed the fans to see Verstappen and Hamilton going wheel to wheel in the sport.

The 2024 F1 season is just a few days away and considering the upcoming campaign is Lewis Hamilton’s last with Mercedes, he would want to put up a good show. However, whether he will be able to challenge Max Verstappen for the world championship or not will be determined after the initial few races.