Max Verstappen says he has no intention of leaving his contract early, but the world champion is keeping all his options open for the future.
Will Max Verstappen stay with Red Bull beyond the 2025 Formula 1 season? At times last year, it looked as if the world champion could leave the bulls prematurely and join another team. In the end, however, Verstappen decided to stay with the team with which he won four titles.
But: From Red Bull’s point of view, the danger of losing its star pilot before the end of his contract, which runs until 2028, does not yet appear to have been completely averted. Verstappen himself hinted at this in an interview with Viaplay, even if he initially played down the possibility.
“In Formula 1, it’s generally not that common for someone to get out of their contract,” he says. ‘It’s not like in soccer, where you sign for five years and leave a year later. It doesn’t happen that often in Formula 1, and it’s not the plan,’ he emphasizes.
When asked whether he really has no intention of backing out of his contract, he emphasizes once again: “That’s not the intention, no.”
And yet the 27-year-old leaves himself a back door: “You never know what might happen in the next year or two. You can’t control that, so I don’t really think about it.”
He is currently “very happy” at Red Bull, where things have been going well recently, despite a few minor setbacks. “I feel good in the team, I can be myself. And everyone works tirelessly to give me the best equipment. In that respect, I have nothing to complain about.”
Horner: “Max has always been committed to the team”
Team boss Christian Horner is not worried about losing his driver anyway. Even during the difficult phase in 2024, when he himself was criticized for the allegations regarding his behavior towards employees and the team threatened to tear, he never had the feeling that Verstappen could really leave.
“Max has always been clearly committed to the team,” ‘His commitment is unwavering. He enjoys the people he trusts and the people he works with, and he really enjoys being part of this team.’
Among the most important confidants is motorsport consultant Helmut Marko, with whom Verstappen has a good relationship. When it looked like the Austrian would have to leave the team, Verstappen backed him and tied his own future to that of the 81-year-old.
When asked about this, Horner smiles: “Well, Helmut didn’t leave the team and he’s not going to leave,” he says, stressing once again that Verstappen “recognizes the value of the team.”
“As long as we give him a competitive car…”
And yet, in the near future, there could be arguments that could make Verstappen reconsider his stay with the team. New regulations will come into force in 2026, and if Red Bull mess up the transition, there could be more attractive sporting options.
“As long as we can continue to provide him with a competitive car and an environment in which he enjoys racing, I don’t see any desire for him to be anywhere else,” says Horner, who also knows: ‘I’m sure he’s on the wish list of every team boss, that’s inevitable.’
Above all, Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff would have liked to have had the Dutchman under the Christmas tree. Neither he nor Verstappen make a secret of the fact that there were negotiations in 2024. “We had very constructive talks,” Verstappen confirms. “I think everyone was always very open and honest with each other.”
But it doesn’t necessarily have to be Mercedes: “The big teams are always interesting,” says the world champion, not wanting to rule anything out. But at Red Bull he is already part of a big team that feels like “a second family” to him. “I am also very loyal to my own team,” he says.
“I’m not someone who changes sides very quickly. You have to think carefully about things like that if you want to do them.”
Do factors outside of Formula 1 become important?
Therefore, it would take very convincing arguments to tempt Verstappen away from there – and they don’t currently exist. Not yet. “I’m still very young, so a lot can happen in the future,” he says, and he explicitly doesn’t just mean Formula 1.
Because Verstappen wants to experience more in his racing career than just Formula 1. “I have several goals after Formula 1: long-distance, my own team… and that includes many things,” he says. “But that’s not something I have to decide now.”
Nevertheless, he is already holding talks in this regard – and that too can be a factor in the choice of his future Formula 1 team. Perhaps Mercedes can also offer him an attractive package outside of the premier class.
“But so does Red Bull, of course. They also do a lot outside of Formula 1,” Verstappen interjects. ‘I’m keeping all my options open there and will choose what I think is best in the end.’