Max Verstappen agrees to having held talks with Mercedes, but loyalty to Red Bull triumphed despite constructive discussions.
The whole of F1 2024 had Toto Wolff pushing to secure the signature of Verstappen to replace outgoing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes alongside George Russell from 2025 onward. But the Dutchman kept word on his contract with Red Bull, which extends until the 2028 season.
The internal Red Bull turmoil could be seen from winter of 2024 itself and it spilled for months into the F1 season, especially between Jos Verstappen, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko. That pushed Max into discussions with rivals, where Mercedes were seemingly at the forefront.
During the year, Verstappen never gave a straight answer on talks between him and Wolff, but speaking to Viaplay for the end of the season chat, the Dutchman revealed of constructive discussions where loyalty to Red Bull triumphed in the end for him to stay back.
“I understand that too, you want to have the fastest driver in your car,” said Verstappen. “The big teams are always interesting, but on the other hand I am also with a very big team. I have achieved a lot of success with them and it just feels like a second family. You can’t make the considerations to leave very quickly. It’s not like I wake up and I say, yes, next year it’s done.
“I’m not someone who shoots from left to right very quickly anyway. So you have to think about that kind of thing very carefully, if you want to do that. Of course we always talk to each other and I’m not lying about the fact that we’ve [Verstappen’s team and Wolff] been sitting together. But that in itself is not a problem either, I think. But I still just really like where I’m sitting.
“I think we had a very constructive conversation. And I think everyone has always been very honest and open with each other. But on the other hand, I’m also very loyal to my own team and I just feel at home there. Then there’s really not a whole lot to be gained at the moment. If you look at Formula 1, it doesn’t happen very often that someone gets out of their contract.
“It’s not like in football, where you sign for five years and leave a year later. And that’s not really the intention. You never know what can happen next year or in two years, but you can’t control that either, so I don’t really think about it that much. Look, I’m very happy with where I am. We’ve won another championship. Of course, improvements need to be made with the car, but I think that’s very logical.
“So, I feel good with the team, I can be myself. Everyone is also working flat out to always give me the best material. In that respect, I have nothing to complain about,” summed up Verstappen. The Dutchman is not just looking at F1, though. His idea goes beyond especially his post-F1 career where he wants to compete in endurance and also be a team owner.
For him to be one, he will have to have discussions with the likes of Mercedes, Aston Martin, Ferrari, etc, to associate with them and use their machinery. “For me, it is not just Formula 1,” he said. “After that, I also want to do a lot of things and I am also thinking about that. Who are the right partners for that? So yes, those are things that I think about, but I do not necessarily have to make a decision about that now.
“I have multiple goals after Formula 1 – endurance, my own team, there are a lot of things involved. And of course, there has to be a programme in the end. And who are you going to do that with? Those are also conversations that I have.
“A lot of teams like Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin, it doesn’t even have to do with Formula 1 itself. Red Bull, of course, they also do a lot outside of Formula 1. So, I’m keeping all options open there and, in the end, I’ll choose what I think is best,” summed up Verstappen.
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