Verstappen compared to other F1 champion: 'Could have achieved much more'

According to Schumacher, Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are the most complete drivers in the field. However, where the latter was beaten by George Russell in 2022, Verstappen has had little opposition from his teammate Sergio Perez. "Lewis has to do more to be on the limit, fight harder for it," said Schumacher at Sport1.

Schumacher wonders how long Verstappen will stay in F1

As for Verstappen, according to the former F1 driver, the question is not so much whether he can be beaten by his teammate: "With Max, I ask myself a different question: How long does he still want to be in Formula 1? He has already indicated a few times that he doesn't want to drive for another ten years. I wouldn't put it past him to say at some point: 'Bye, that's it. I'm off!'," Schumacher continued.

According to the 47-year-old German, the busy travel schedule may have something to do with that. "Although we had fewer races in my time, it was already too much for me at the end of my career. After all, you mustn't forget one thing: Your whole life is based on Formula 1, starting when you get up and ending when you go to sleep," he explained.

Verstappen has stated on several occasions that his life is about more than F1. Another world champion for whom this was also the case was Kimi Raikkonen. The lifestyle of the Finn, who loved to party between Grand Prix weekends, was therefore the ultimate proof of his talent, according to Schumacher. However, he does think Raikkonen could have won more titles. "If Kimi had been more disciplined, he would have achieved much more," Schumacher said.