Max Verstappen received surprising advice to take a break from Formula One in 2026.
According to PlanetF1, 1996 World Champion Damon Hill believed that it would be “wise” for the Red Bull driver to take a year out in 2026 to know which is the strongest team.
The future of the Dutch Belgian driver became a hot topic after the details of his contract clause revealed that he can leave the team before 2028 if it does not finish in the top 3.
Red Bull, which is a step behind McLaren, while Mercedes and Aston are also chasing Verstappen, former players advised him to take a year out.
Hill told BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast, “Red Bull are fighting to retain Max. There is a clause in the contract, it’s been explained quite clearly that there’s a performance clause, and if they don’t match the performance clause, if they don’t give him that, then he’s free to go wherever he wants.”
“It might be a wise thing to do (to take a year out), then you can see which way the wind is going to blow after these regulation changes. He’s won four World Championships. He’s won goodness knows how many races. He could sit back (and take his pick),” he added.
The former F1 champion said that Verstappen could sit back next season to see which way the future is going to go in the next 10 years.
Notably, Verstappen finished fourth in the Miami Grand Prix earlier in May behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris and Mercedes' George Russell.
