Max Verstappen has decided to stay with Red Bull Racing until the end of 2030, ending months of speculation about his future in Formula 1. The choice reinforces the four-time champion’s commitment, but also raises questions given the current state of the team.
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After the Dutch GP last weekend, Red Bull is only in fourth place in the constructors’ championship, behind Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren. Verstappen, for his part, has yet to win this season and is only sixth among the drivers, a very different scenario from the dominance built by the team in recent years.
The new agreement represents a two-year extension compared to the previous contract, which would have ended in 2028. According to some estimates, the previous deal was worth around US$ 95 million and the new one would be US$ 135 million per season. Verstappen also stated that he considers Red Bull a ‘second family’ and that he wants to help the team get back to the top.
However, the problem pointed out by several F1 commentators lies in the transformation of the structure that supported Red Bull’s greatest recent successes. Adrian Newey left the team to join Aston Martin, while Rob Marshall went to McLaren and Dan Fallows left the technical structure to also work at Aston Martin, in addition to Jonathan Wheatley’s departure to Sauber, which was then preparing for Audi’s official entry.
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Other important figures are also mentioned among the losses, including Helmut Marko, Christian Horner, and Gianpiero Lambiase, who will go to McLaren. In the assessment presented, the number of experienced professionals who left the organization cannot be immediately compensated, increasing doubts about Red Bull’s ability to produce a dominant car again.
In this scenario, a possible transfer of Verstappen to McLaren is pointed out as an alternative that would have made sense, especially due to the growth of the Woking team and the presence of former Red Bull members in its structure. Still, Verstappen decided to trust the project led by Laurent Mekies and stay with his current team.
The choice is described as loyal and financially advantageous, but the sporting result is still unknown. With Red Bull far from the title fight in 2026, only the coming years will show whether Verstappen’s decision was a demonstration of confidence or if it ended up reducing his opportunities to win more titles in Formula 1.
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