Red Bull and Max Verstappen are well on their way to creating one of the most successful partnerships in the history of Formula 1.
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have just parted ways after winning 14 Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships combined.
He’s now joined Ferrari, where Michael Schumacher helped the team win 11 titles over the course of six years.
Max Verstappen is now a four-time world champion after another dominant campaign, although Red Bull couldn’t make it a third double on the bounce.
The underperformance of Sergio Perez – finishing 285 points behind Verstappen – meant McLaren were able to win their first Constructors’ title this century.
Perez could be able to lose his Red Bull seat as a result, but Verstappen’s future is much more secure.
Verstappen has a Red Bull contract until the end of the 2028 season, one of the longest agreements on the grid.
It’s unsurprisingly that team principal Christian Horner wanted to make sure Verstappen couldn’t move elsewhere for so long given his ability.
Only Hamilton and Schumacher have won more races than Verstappen in their F1 careers, with the Dutchman rapidly closing in on the paid over the past few years.
Verstappen has been clear that he doesn’t want to race in F1 forever, with ambitions to take on other projects.
He’s now addressed how he would feel about staying at Red Bull beyond his current deal.
Max Verstappen unsure about staying at Red Bull beyond 2028
Verstappen was a guest on Sport und Talk aus dem Hangar 7 and the host said to the four-time world champion: “You have indicated two or three times that you will not be racing in Formula 1 forever, but that you have plans for afterwards.
“I hope you will tell us here that you will fulfil your contract until 2028 and that you will stay with us even longer.”
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Verstappen responded to this and said: “Yes, but that is still a few years away, then we’ll see again.”
While Verstappen doesn’t seem keen to move elsewhere just yet, he may have a new teammate very shortly.
Liam Lawson is expected to replace Perez, making him one of the least experienced drivers ever to race for Horner’s team.
Verstappen will know he needs to support Lawson if Red Bull want to win the Constructors’ Championship again, but has never been shy about putting his personal ambitions first.
What would Max Verstappen’s options be if he decided to leave Red Bull?
The short answer is Verstappen would likely have his choice of virtually any team on the F1 grid, or any grid in motor racing for that matter.
Mercedes have long been admirers of Verstappen and narrowly missed out on signing the young Dutchman before he joined Red Bull’s academy.
Aston Martin are also keen on Verstappen, although they may only be an enticing project for the 27-year-old after the 2026 season when they hope to be more competitive.
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Max’s father Jos doesn’t see eye to eye with Horner and that breakdown may end up impacting how long he stays with the team, particularly if they suffer a downturn in performance.
However, Verstappen seems very happy to stay put right now and continue to rack up pole positions, victories and championships.
His loyalty may be tested during the next era of F1 if Red Bull can’t continue to challenge at the very front of the grid.
