Verstappen: I wouldn't do Indy, I'd like to keep my legs

Verstappen has always spoken of the possibility of retiring from Formula 1 once his current contract with Red Bull - worth $55-Million a year - runs out at the end of 2028.

Verstappen always expressed interest in trying other racing disciplines, and asked by SportsMail if he would think about trying Indianapolis 500; he said: "No, I wouldn’t.

"If you have had a career in F1 and it has all gone well, I don’t see it as worth taking the risk," he added.

Explaining his answer, Verstappen said: "Of course, I want to win and it would be an amazing race to win, and I have a lot of respect for the drivers who do it.

"But first of all, I have never raced an oval, so that would take a bit of time to get used to. And the sensation of having a shunt and hitting a fence and seeing people being really badly injured makes it not really worth it for me.

"I’d like to keep my legs," the 2021 and 2022 Formula 1 World Champion joked.

Asked if, by having the #1 on his Red Bull F1 car, he considers himself the best driver in the world today, Verstappen responded: "I have No 1 in F1.

"There are a lot of other disciplines. I do a lot of things outside F1 [karting and sports cars] and virtually [sim racing], and I find it fascinating to meet people who are good at their series.

"You learn a lot because nobody is perfect and everybody can become a better driver," the Red Bull ace insisted.

On the topic of taking risks in an F1 car, it was brought to Verstappen's attention during the interview something racing legend Sir Stirling Moss, the greatest F1 driver who never won the Title, said.

Moss said man who goes round a bend five miles per hour faster than he should, but somehow comes out the other side is not smart, he is stupid.

"That was more the case back in the day," Verstappen commented. "Nowadays you might run wide or into the AstroTurf or gravel or extra tarmac, so the way of viewing things compared to the Fifties, Sixties, Seventies is a bit different.

"I can see why it was viewed like that then, but now it is sometimes good to go over the limit and come back to it, but it depends on the track layout. At Monaco, for example, you can’t do that," he pointed out.

However, the winner of 35 grands prix insists he's not the bravest driver on the F1 grid, but rather a confident one.

"I never think of being brave," he said. "I feel confident, and if I feel confident in what I have around me, I can maybe brake a little later. But you can sometimes have the best driver in a poor car, one that is not capable of braking later."

Verstappen is currently competing in Bahrain, as he gears up to start his Title defense campaign targeting a third consecutive F1 Drivers' Crown in 2023.