Max Verstappen renewed his contract with Red Bull until the 2030 season, leaving the door open for an even longer stay in Formula 1 – including the return of V8 engines playing an important role in this.
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In recent years, the four-time world champion has mentioned a possible retirement from the category, always emphasizing his dissatisfaction with the direction the sport is taking. And with the 2026 regulations, he even said at one point to team principal Laurent Mekies that he did not want to answer questions about his future.
Now, extending his contract for two more years – the current one would run until 2028 –, he repeated a promise he had made to Dietrich Mateschitz, founder of Red Bull. “I always said, and said this when Dietrich was still alive: ‘My goal and my aim are to end my career with this team.’ I think we are getting close to that.”
“I feel very good in this team. I believe that, with these people, we can get back to the top. Time will tell. I mean, that’s what we’re aiming for. I still want to win races. I have a strong desire to win more,” he continued.
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The four-time world champion emphasized that his complaints about the current cars have not disappeared, but that the talks with Formula 1 and the FIA and the good prospects for the coming years gave him confidence to commit for several years. “That’s what I said earlier: in a way, I accepted the situation we are in. Personally, of course, I’m not happy with it, but at the same time, there were discussions I had with F1 and the FIA, already trying to make small improvements for next year and the year after.”
“I’m willing to accept this at the moment. Let’s say it’s not fantastic, but I still love racing. I mean, it’s still a Formula 1 car. Some tracks are better than others, but undoubtedly, we know there are areas where we can improve. So, over the years, the situation will improve a bit,” he concluded.
Read more F1: Check out the timeline of Verstappen’s renewal with Red Bull until 2030
