Verstappen signs with Red Bull until 2030, saying he was ‘closer to retiring than changing teams’
Max Verstappen told reporters on Thursday at the news conference following the announcement that he had extended his Red Bull contract until the end of 2030, saying, "I was closer to retiring than changing teams." The four-time world champion, who is sixth in this year’s drivers' championship, made the comment after confirming his decision to remain with the team.
Verstappen said this season’s new engine regulations had prompted him to question his future in Formula 1, and that the issues reached a peak after the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka when he asked: "Is it worth it? Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family? Seeing my friends more when you're not enjoying your sport?" He has repeatedly voiced frustrations about the hybrid power units and their impact on racing this year.
Technical changes to the power units are already planned: the split between internal combustion and electrical power is currently 53:47 and will move to 60:40 in favour of internal combustion by 2028, a shift the article says should reduce, though not eliminate, the energy-starvation problem. Verstappen described the effect of the current rules as batteries running out and "robbing" the engines of 470bhp before the end of long straights, forcing energy recovery through corners and creating power imbalances that have influenced overtakes.
Verstappen pointed to his outing at the Nurburgring 24 Hours in a Red Bull-branded Mercedes AMG GT as a reminder of the type of racing he prefers: he produced a first stint that took the car from 10th to 1st before a late driveshaft failure cost victory. The article states his participation helped generate unprecedented interest in that weekend, with organisers saying weekend tickets sold out for the first time and a record 352,000 people attending.
Drivers’ complaints since Japan prompted the sport’s bosses to plan tweaks over the next two years to boost the internal combustion contribution, while the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has proposed returning to naturally aspirated V8s with minimal hybrid content. The piece notes objections to that approach, including concerns about increased fuel loads and that some manufacturers such as Audi and Mercedes would prefer turbocharged units or a more significant hybrid component.
Verstappen said he held extensive discussions with F1 and the FIA and that he had "adapted" to the current situation, adding: "I love racing. I had a lot of very good discussions with F1, but also with the FIA. And I think we are slowly working towards something that becomes better and better." He also told Laurent Mekies, the Red Bull team principal, "Don't come to me with any kind of questions about the future. Because I didn't even know if I wanted to stay," and later said: "First of all, you need to feel good where you're at. Red Bull allows me to do things also a little bit outside of Formula 1. So it's, like, a big plus. You know, all of it, the whole package, which I'm very grateful for." Mekies described the contract as "a demonstration of trust Max has put in the team" and declined to detail the "strategic decisions" discussed with Verstappen.
Insiders, the article reports, say the new deal includes a small pay increase on top of what was already the biggest driver salary in F1 and preserves Verstappen's control over his future with options to leave if expected performance is not delivered. The piece adds that Red Bull have had a difficult 2026 so far, with Verstappen yet to win a race and having finished second at the Hungarian Grand Prix before the summer break.
The contract runs to the end of 2030, a timing Verstappen referenced when saying: "Also with the year that I signed to, it again opens up the door maybe, you know, when potentially the V8s come in to look at that again as well." He reiterated his long-stated aim to finish his career with Red Bull: "I always said - and I said this when Dietrich [Mateschitz, the late Red Bull co-owner] was still alive - my goal and target is to finish my career in this team. We are getting close to that."