Max Verstappen is unquestionably one of the best racers today, but the four-time F1 champ still has his boundaries. For one, the Dakar Rally is not something he plans on touching anytime soon.

In an interview with Mundo Deportivo during the Italian Grand Prix weekend, Verstappen was asked if he’d consider trying races like Dakar or the Indianapolis 500. He quickly shot that down.

“No, I don’t want to,” he started. “I like watching, but I don’t want to do them. After F1, you’ve already risked your life enough.

“GT racing maybe, but not Dakar or Indy. The risk isn’t worth it.”

Fernando Alonso is by far the most notable case of a Formula One driver trying either of those events, doing both in 2020 when he was out of F1. He competed at Dakar in a Toyota Hilux and finished 30th overall, running as high as second in Stage 8. Later that year, he returned to Indy for a second time (third including his DNQ in 2019) and placed 21st.

Although 2020 was his last Dakar as he returned to F1 the following year, Alonso has been frank about the rally being high on his priority list. In 2023, he said there was probably a 99% chance he’d try it again and put it on relatively equal footing with winning a third F1 title.

Despite Verstappen’s achievements in F1, one can’t fault him for finding Dakar too risky. MotoGP legend Marc Márquez, for example, has said he wouldn’t even consider trying Dakar on a bike because of the dangers. Still, the six-time MotoGP champ and current points leader isn’t opposed to racing it on four wheels with the proper training and prep work. Even Alonso did two rallies in Saudi Arabia and South Africa before heading to Dakar.

In lieu of versatility, Verstappen gravitates toward sports cars for his racing fix outside of F1. He oversees a GT World Challenge team and has done testing for various IMSA and GT teams. Thus, if there were races he’d like to do someday, Le Mans and the Rolex 24 are what’s on his mind.

Oh well.

Featured image credit: Mark Thompson / Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool