Max Verstappen made an important revelation about his future in Formula 1, stating that he was closer to retiring than to switching teams. The statement was made during a press event this Thursday (20) in Zandvoort, held before the Dutch GP.
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The four-time world champion confirmed the extension of his contract with Red Bull until 2030, ending a long series of speculations about a possible team change. According to Verstappen, however, the main doubt during part of the season was not which team he would go to, but whether he would continue competing in the category.
“I think I was closer to retiring than to changing teams. I have to say that, after the first races, I told Laurent (Mekies, team principal): ‘Don’t come to talk to me about any kind of future issue, because I don’t even know if I want to continue,’ but honestly, we always kept everything very open,” Verstappen said.
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Verstappen also highlighted that his passion for racing remains intact, and mentioned positive conversations with Formula 1 and the FIA about the development of the category: “I love racing, and I think I had many very good conversations with F1, but also with the FIA, and we are, let’s say, slowly working towards something that becomes better and better,” he added.
The new contract may also allow Verstappen to reassess his future if V8 engines are introduced: “I think, with the year I signed, this again opens the door to maybe, when potentially the V8s come in, look at it again,” the Dutch driver concluded.
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