Max Verstappen said he came closer to retiring from Formula 1 than joining a rival team as he explained his reasons for extending his Red Bull contract. In a relatively surprise announcement on the eve of his home Dutch Grand Prix, the first race back after the sport's summer break, Red Bull announced that Verstappen had extended his contract with them by two further years, to 2030. The four-time world champion had been linked with Mercedes in each of the previous two years, while his management were understood to have spoken to McLaren.
Verstappen had also called his whole F1 future into question earlier in the year with strong criticism of the sport's current engine rules. Asked in a Red Bull press conference at Zandvoort following Thursday's announcement if he had been close to considering a future away from Red Bull, and whether there had been the chance to join a rival, Verstappen replied: "I think I was closer to retiring than changing teams! Asked directly in the later official drivers' press conference about the existence of any rival offers, Verstappen said: "It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter, does it? Well, not to me." Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player While Verstappen's previous contract at Red Bull ran to the end of the 2028 season, the deal was known to contain performance break clauses, while it had appeared in the new season's early weeks that the Dutchman might opt to walk away from the sport entirely due to dissatisfaction with the new-for-2026 power unit regulations which feature a near 50-50 split between between electrical and traditional internal combustion power. But constructive talks between the sport's stakeholders, including drivers, led to early-season refinement of the regulations and an agreement to reduce the contribution of electrical power in 2027 and 2028.
Verstappen said on Thursday: "I have to say after the first few races I said to Laurent [Mekies, Red Bull's team principal], 'don't come to me with any kind of questions about the future, because I don't even know if I want to stay!' "But honestly, we always kept it very open. I mean, 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. "Also from my side, of course, you know, I adapted, I accept the situation that I think we're all in and just trying to make the best of that.
"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." Verstappen was referring to the fact that 2030 could coincide with the first year of the sport's next engine formula, with a return to V8 engines - last used in the sport in 2013 - on sustainable fuels and with an element of electrification currently being explored. He added: "It's what I said a bit before where I accepted kind of the situation that we're in. Personally, of course, I'm not happy with it but, at the same time, with the discussions that I've had with F1 and FIA already trying to make little improvements for next year or the year after.
"Plus, the year that I signed to - leaving the door open for a potential V8 return - I'm willing to accept that at the moment. It's, let's say, not fantastic but I still love racing. "It's still a Formula 1 car.
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