What Max Verstappen keeps saying off the record about his Red Bull future

His contract keeps him there for three more years, but when he signed his extension in 2022, he made sure to include exit clauses. If the team falls off the pace under the new regulations, those clauses give him an out.

Red Bull haven’t dropped below third in the championship since Verstappen joined in 2016. The Dutchman has won at least one race every year since then.

This season marks the first time Red Bull will be building their own power units, working alongside Ford. That change brings some question marks about how competitive they’ll be early on.

The narrative that Verstappen would instantly bail for a quicker car is common enough, but The Mirror’s Daniel Moxon doesn’t think it fits what we know about Verstappen’s ties to Laurent Mekies’ team.

“A constant theme in conversations with Verstappen — both on and off the record — is that he would love to finish his career with Red Bull,” wrote Moxon. “So leaving wouldn’t be as simple as just giving up and walking away.”

Max Verstappen could be the first world champion to never change teams

If Verstappen stays with Red Bull through the end of his career, he’d be the first F1 champion to spend his entire journey with one team.

Publicly, he’s called it a ‘dream’. And privately, his stance hasn’t changed. Speaking with Daniel Moxon of The Mirror, Verstappen said:

While drivers like Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and George Russell have all stuck with their original teams so far – McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes respectively – none can match Verstappen’s time at Red Bull.

Jim Clark is the only F1 world champion to have raced his entire career in one colour. The two-time title winner was loyal to Lotus until his fatal crash in 1968.

If Verstappen ever decides to leave Red Bull, Mercedes are considered the favourites to sign him. Even if they don’t win titles immediately, what will matter most is whether they’re close enough for him to believe they can compete again in 2027 or 2028.