ZANDVOORT – Max Verstappen has revealed he was closer to retiring from Formula 1 than he was to swapping teams, but the FIA’s potential switch to V8 engines swayed him.
Red Bull announced on Thursday that Verstappen would not only remain with the team in 2027, but that he had extended his contract by a further two years to 2030.
Max Verstappen reveals he was closer to retiring than leaving Red Bull
The announcement put an end to speculation that the Dutchman could switch to McLaren, or even quit the sport.
While multiple sources told PlanetF1.com that he held talks with McLaren, there were also questions about whether he even wanted to continue in Formula 1.
Although Verstappen still had several years on his current Red Bull contract, he had been vocal in his dislike for the new generation of cars and the power units.
The Dutchman had openly admitted that it could play a role in his future on the grid.
Such was the concern that Formula 1 commercial boss Stefano Domenicali had conversations with Verstappen about his future and the direction of Formula 1.
Those talks, as well as his conversations with Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies and with the FIA, persuaded Verstappen to extend his stay on the grid.
“I have to say,” he told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media in Zandvoort hours after Red Bull announced his new deal, “after the first few races, I said to Laurent, ‘Don’t come to me with any kind of questions about the future because I didn’t even know if I want to stay’.
“But honestly, we always kept it very open.
“I love racing, and I think I had a lot of very good discussions with F1, but also with the FIA, and I think we are, let’s say, slowly working towards something that becomes better and better.
“So, also from my side, of course, I adapted. I accept the situation that I think we’re all in, and just trying to make the best of that.
“And I think also with the year that I signed to, it again opens up the door maybe when potentially the V8s come in to look at that again as well.”
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has vowed to reintroduce V8 engines with minimal electrical power, and has targeted 2030 or, at the very latest, 2031.
But while that played its part in Verstappen’s decision to continue in Formula 1, his reasons for specifically staying at Red Bull were two-fold.
Not only is he convinced that the team will return to the top step of the podium, but he also appreciates that Red Bull allows him to explore his passions, such as GT3 racing, outside the F1 circus.
“First of all, you need to feel good where you’re at. Doesn’t even matter if you’re this year in the fastest car, but you don’t feel well, I don’t think that’s going to last very long,” he said.
“So, I feel very good in this team. I have the belief in the people that we can get back to the top. Time will tell. I mean, that’s what we are targeting.
“I still want to win races. I’m hungry to win more.
“Plus, of course, Red Bull allows me to do things also a little bit outside of Formula 1. So it’s like a big plus, all of it, the whole package, which I’m of course very grateful for. About the contract details itself, I never talk about that.”
So much so, he revealed with a chuckle: “I think I was closer to retiring than changing teams, but all good.”
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Verstappen reiterated his stance that he will see out his F1 career as a Red Bull driver having raced for the organisation since entering the sport in 2015 with its junior team, then known as Toro Rosso.
“We have won so much, and we have had so many incredible moments already together. And then, of course, with Laurent joining last year, I think from the start the relationship has been really, really good, very open and transparent,” Verstappen noted.
“And that’s why I think, from my side to make up my mind was just about exactly that about the future, some strategic decisions as well within the team, and for me it feels absolutely right to continue here.
“And I always said, and I said this when Dietrich was still alive, I said my goal and target is to finish my career in this team, and I think we are, we’re getting closer to that. I mean, of course, there’s still a lot of years ahead, but that’s still the target.”
Verstappen won on his Red Bull debut at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix and has since added a further 70 Grand Prix wins to his tally with the team, and four Drivers’ World Championships.
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
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