- Verstappen says winning on Red Bull’s new engine is his biggest remaining goal in F1.
- Four-time champion trails Antonelli by 88 points heading into the Monaco Grand Prix.
- Verstappen calls AI “scary, but cool” and admits to being “a bit of a geek.”
Max Verstappen says he has run out of big ambitions in Formula 1. The four-time world champion, speaking to Vogue ahead of the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix, said the major goals he set for himself in the sport are largely done.
What remains, he added, are smaller and more personal targets.
“The main ones have all been completed,” Verstappen told the magazine. At 28 years old, he has already won four consecutive world championships between 2021 and 2024.
A champion running out of mountains to climb
The admission carries more weight given where Verstappen stands in 2026.
He is not leading the championship. The Dutchman trails championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 88 points after just five rounds. And Red Bull is still finding its feet with a new, in-house power unit built alongside Ford.
He did say one title-related goal remains. “I would like, of course, to win a championship again,” he said. But he was clear that chasing a specific number of titles holds no appeal for him.
He has said before, on plenty of occasions, that he has “achieved already everything that I wanted to achieve in the sport.” The Vogue interview confirms that view has not changed, even in a season where he is on the back foot.
The smaller goals that still excite him
Verstappen has narrowed his focus to something more immediate. He wants to win a race powered by Red Bull’s own engine.
“What I want now are smaller achievements, like achieving a win on our own power units, stuff like that,” he said.
Red Bull Powertrains is supplying its own engines for the first time in 2026. Team figures have acknowledged that the unit is behind rival power plants early in the season
A win built on that engine would mean something different to Verstappen than victories achieved with Honda power.
He finished third at the Canadian Grand Prix, his most recent result before Monaco. In the context of a difficult season, a single win on Red Bull’s own terms has become his clearest measure of success.
A self-confessed geek fascinated by AI
Away from the race track, Verstappen spoke about an interest that goes beyond cars. He told Vogue he is drawn to computing and artificial intelligence.
“I’m just passionate about racing, and trying to build more knowledge, even down to computing power, and AI, which is, in a way, quite scary, but cool,” he said.
He acknowledged the kind of person this interest marks him as. “You need to be a little bit of a geek for these kinds of things, but I like it,” he added.
Verstappen is known to spend significant time on simulators and runs his own esports team, Team Redline, which competes in virtual endurance racing.
The interest in data and technology fits a driver who has always spoken about the mechanical and technical side of the sport with genuine enthusiasm.
What it means ahead of Monaco
Verstappen has been one of the more vocal critics of the 2026 regulations. He compared the racing style under the new rules to “Mario Kart” and called on the FIA to step in. His frustration suggests a driver who cares deeply about how the sport is run, not one who is coasting toward retirement.
He has also been open about not wanting to race deep into his 40s, and has spoken about being drawn to challenges outside Formula 1. But for now, he remains committed to bringing Red Bull back to the front.
The picture that emerges from his Vogue interview is of a driver who has made peace with what he has already won. The records and the championships are behind him.
What pulls him forward is the prospect of winning again on different terms, with an engine his team built themselves, in a season where nothing has come easily.
