(Motorsport-Total.com) – Max Verstappen will continue to race for Red Bull Racing beyond the current Formula 1 era. The Dutchman has extended his contract with the Austrian racing team until 2030, ending speculation about a possible move to a competitor.
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Particularly remarkable: Verstappen explains that during the difficult first phase of the season, he was even closer to retirement than to switching to another team. The four-time world champion made it clear at the announcement that his decision does not depend solely on the current sporting performance of the team.
For Verstappen, Red Bull is long more than just an employer. “For me, this team has been part of my life for so long. Of course, it’s like a second family,” explains the Dutchman. Together, they have already won a lot and experienced numerous extraordinary moments.
The relationship with Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies also plays an important role. Mekies replaced Christian Horner at the head of the team last year.
Despite the profound personnel changes, Verstappen sees no reason to reconsider his future. “Since Laurent joined last year, the relationship has been really very good, open, and transparent from the start,” says Verstappen.
A promise to Dietrich Mateschitz
Verstappen’s connection with Red Bull goes much further back. The Dutchman recalls a promise he made during the lifetime of Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz, who passed away in 2022. “I have always said – and I said this when Dietrich was still alive – that my goal is to finish my career with this team,” explains the 28-year-old.
He has not abandoned this goal despite recent difficulties. “We are getting closer to this goal,” says Verstappen. At the same time, he emphasizes that he still has many years ahead in Formula 1. With the contract extension until 2030, the world champion now at least creates the contractual basis to actually end his career at Red Bull.
“That’s why I’m very proud to extend and, of course, to try to get back to the top,” explains Verstappen. This sentence is quite remarkable: Verstappen is not extending because Red Bull is currently the dominant force in Formula 1. On the contrary. The sporting situation was one of the decisive points that made him even think about his future.
“I don’t even know if I want to stay”
Because Verstappen admits unusually openly how great his doubts were at the start of the season. Asked whether he had seriously considered leaving Formula 1 at some point, the Red Bull driver answers: “After the first races, I told Laurent: ‘Please don’t ask me any questions about the future because I don’t even know if I want to stay.’”
This makes it clear that the current extension was by no means a given. Verstappen was dissatisfied with the sporting situation and parts of the new technical framework. At the same time, he said he sought dialogue with Formula 1 and the FIA.
“We kept everything open all the time,” says Verstappen. He still loves racing, has had many good talks with Formula 1, but also with the FIA. From his point of view, it has been possible to gradually work towards improvements. “I adapted to the situation and accept it. We’re just trying to make the best of it.”
V8 engines could be Verstappen’s backdoor
A crucial point in Verstappen’s long-term planning is apparently the possibility that Formula 1 might one day return to V8 engines. Verstappen has made it clear several times in the past that he is not entirely happy with the direction of the current powertrain technology. Now he hints that his contract deliberately opens a perspective beyond the coming years.
“With the year I signed for, the door remains open to maybe think about V8 engines again if they potentially come back,” explains Verstappen. For the Dutchman, this is an important part of his decision.
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At the same time, he makes it clear that the prospect of a possible return of the V8 does not mean he fundamentally rejects the current Formula 1. “It’s not fantastic,” says Verstappen about his personal assessment of the current situation. “But I still love racing. It’s still a Formula 1 car.”
Depending on the track, the situation can be different, but there are areas where Formula 1 still needs to improve from his point of view.
Red Bull offers Verstappen more than just Formula 1
Besides sporting and technical considerations, there is another factor for Verstappen: Red Bull gives him freedoms outside of Formula 1. According to his own words, this also factors into the overall decision.
“Red Bull also allows me to do things a bit outside of Formula 1,” explains the Dutchman. “That’s a big plus.” Therefore, the overall package is decisive. And it was exactly this overall package that ultimately convinced him to continue to commit his future to Red Bull.
At the same time, Verstappen contradicts the idea that a superstar necessarily has to change teams at some point to seek a new challenge. In the past, drivers like Michael Schumacher or Lewis Hamilton linked their careers with team changes and built new structures. Verstappen sees his situation differently.
“I was closer to retirement than to a team change”
Asked whether he ever felt it was time to change teams given the departure of Christian Horner and other important Red Bull staff, Verstappen reacts calmly. “You name five people out of 2,000 or so,” he says. For him, Red Bull is therefore not reduced to individual names.
“As Laurent also said: It’s real teamwork,” explains Verstappen. Of course, some well-known employees have left the team. Nevertheless, the team remains his family. “I never felt the desire or need to switch to another team to win somewhere else.”
“If I feel comfortable here in the team, why should I change?” asks Verstappen. He knows the staff would give everything for him – and vice versa applies the same.
No talks with other teams – and a clear priority
Verstappen’s attitude becomes particularly clear when asked whether he had contact with other teams during negotiations with Red Bull. The world champion not only denies this but also provides a remarkable assessment of his mindset at the time.
“I think I was closer to retirement than to a team change,” says Verstappen. According to him, there were no talks with other racing teams. This finally dispels the notion that his contract extension was merely the result of a tug-of-war between Red Bull and possible competitors.
Instead, a much more fundamental question was apparently at stake: Does Verstappen even want to continue racing in Formula 1? After the first races of the season, this question was not conclusively answered for him. Only the talks with Formula 1 and FIA, his unchanged passion for racing, and the long-term perspective convinced him to continue.