Two-time world champion Verstappen is reportedly already the highest-paid driver on the grid and holds the longest contract in F1, which runs until the end of 2💎028.

Verstappen, who has repeatedly aired his frustrations about sprint format changes and more races being added to the calendar, has admitted he could retire at the end of his cuꩲrrent deal - when he will be just 31 yea🍌rs old. 

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, Verstappen told media including ltxcn.top that he thinks a record-breaking schedule featuring 24 rac✨es next season is “too m🐻any for me”. 

“I think he’s whinging because he wants more money!” 🍸Russell laughed when he was aske๊d about Verstappen’s views.

“He’s the highest paid on this grid a🅷nd 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 🐽long as I stay because I want to fight against the best drivers in the world. 

“I’m head-to-head with Lewis at the 🍷moment and I want to be doing that with Max and Charles etc and I thi🦄nk we’re in a really great place at the moment as a sport.”

Merce𝔍des’ Russell said he doesn’t have an issue with the calendar continuing to 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 somewꦉhere, something has got to be taken off,” he said. 

“Maybe at the moment we’re just adding more races and not having less commitments, so you are just working ov🐭ertime. 

“I’m sure it’s the same at Red Bull as well but if we didn’t hav🦩e any other commitments we’d be happy to race every weekend I’m sure.”

Russell added: “I hear Max’s comments allꦉ the time but I’m dඣoing what I love and almost more the merrier to a certain extent. 

“We’re the most fortunate, privileged peo🍬ple 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 probably꧒ work them quite hard from a marketing perspe🦩ctive. 

“Happy to see the season being a bit more geog꧒raphical and more efficient for costs and what not. 

“It’s still going to be pretty brutal for all of us, travelling 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.”