Two-time world champion Verstappen is reportedly already the highestꦜ-paid driver on the grid and holds the longest contract in F1, which runs until the end of 2028.

Verstappen, who has repeatedly aired his frustrations about sprint format changeꦉs and more races being added to the calendar, has admi💟tted he could retire at the end of his current deal - when he will be just 31 years old. 

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, Verstappen told media including mahbx.com that he thinks a record-breaking schedule featuring 24 races nꦯext season is “too♚ many for me”. 

“I think he’s whinging because he wants more money!” Russell laughed♎ when he was asked a🎐bout Verstappen’s views.

“He’s the highest paid on this grid and🥃 rightly so for what he’s achieving but even so, I think it’s all a big tactic of his, that threat of retirement. 

“I hope he doesn’t, I hope he stays for as lꦓong as I stay because I want to fight against the best drivers in the w🌼orld. 

“I’m head-to-head with Lewis at the moment and I want to be doing tha🏅t♋ with Max and Charles etc and I think we’re in a really great place at the moment as a sport.”

Mercedes’ Russell said he doesn’t have an issue with the calendar continuing ꩵto expand as long as some of the drivers’ non-racing commitments are reduced. 

“It is challenging, we can’t just keep adding more commitments, more races, there’s got to be a point where if you are adding something somewhere, something has got to be taken off,” he s𓆉aid. 

“🃏Maybe at the moment we’re just adding more races and not having less co🤪mmitments, so you are just working overtime. 

“I’m sure it’s the sam𒆙e at Red Bull𒆙 as well but if we didn’t have any other commitments we’d be happy to race every weekend I’m sure.”

Russell ad🧸ded: “I hear Max’s comments all the time but I’m doing what I love and almost more the merrier to 🌌a certain extent. 

“We’re the m♎ost fortunate, privileged people in the world to be F1 drivers. Of course there’s a huge amount of events and there’s a lot of things that come with it. 

“I’d happily take more races but have less💯 commitments outside of the race weekend. I know obviously Red Bull probably work them qu🅷ite hard from a marketing perspective. 

“Happy to see the season being a bit more geograph💎ical and more efficient for costs an🎀d what not. 

“It’s still going to be pretty brutal for all of us, trav🧜elling to and from the races, especially the first four races but it’s a work in progress and it’s going in the right direction.”