Verstappen would have been more likely to leave F1 than change teams
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ZANDVOORT, Netherlands, Aug 20 : Max Verstappen said he hoped to see out his Formula One career at Red Bull after agreeing a contract extension to 2030 and admitted on Thursday that he would have been more likely to leave the sport than join another team.
The four-times champion had been linked in media speculation to Mercedes and McLaren but he played that down after the new deal was announced at his home Dutch Grand Prix.
“I think I was closer to retiring than changing teams,” the 28-year-old told reporters.
Verstappen is no fan of the sport’s new engine era and how the cars have to be driven, with their greater electric component, and made clear early in the season that he was weighing up his options.
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He said he told team principal Laurent Mekies early in the campaign not to discuss the future because he did not know if he wanted to stay in the sport.
The driver, who has been with Red Bull all his Formula One career, said he had good discussions with the governing FIA and Formula One management and now looked forward to future rule changes and the possible return of V8 engines in 2030.
Verstappen said he accepted current issues with the car’s performance, believed in a return to the top in the future and added that it would be a great story if he saw out his career with the energy drink brand.
The team also allowed him to pursue other interests outside F1, such as endurance racing, and discussed everything openly.
“I never felt that desire or need to change to another team, to try and win somewhere else,” he explained. “If I feel well within the team here, why should I?”
Verstappen reiterated that Red Bull felt like a second family, a team he had been with for a decade, and that he had a really good relationship with Mekies, who replaced Christian Horner last year.
“I always said, and I said this when (founder) Dietrich (Mateschitz) was still alive, my goal and target is to finish my career in this team. And I think we are getting close to that. I mean, of course there’s a lot of years ahead, but that’s still the target.
“So that’s why I’m very proud to extend and of course try to get back to the top.”
Mekies said the extension was a real demonstration of trust.
“He’s a lot more than the fastest driver in the world for us. We have been saying it many, many times. He’s the central point of the team. He’s one we always refer to for all the strategic decisions we are making.
“And to know that he’s going to be with us in order to build that next winning cycle is phenomenal.”
Source: Reuters
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