Max Verstappen is unique. Of course, for what he does on the track; those maneuvers that leave his rivals’ jaws dropped, which have earned him four consecutive championship titles (2021-2024) and make many of them label him as the best driver of all time. After more than a decade in the World Championship, he has also learned to be special when he gets out of the car and stands in front of the microphones. Not only is he capable of extracting every last millisecond of potential from the car he drives. He also masters the backstage, what is unseen and handled in the offices, like no other member of the grid. After months of warnings, almost threats, around a hypothetical early retirement caused by the lack of appeal of the cars born from the new technical regulations, the Dutchman and Red Bull, his lifelong team, announced the extension of the bond that unites them, until the end of 2030, two seasons longer than what was already agreed. In the statement sent this Thursday morning, ahead of his home Grand Prix in Zandvoort, Mad Max ended the uncertainty in his own way, brutally.
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“I am very happy with the extension of my contract. We have an excellent team and I am excited to continue working with all of them to get back to the top,” explains the driver. “This remains the ultimate goal we all work for, and the one we will continue to pursue,” adds the racer born in Hasselt (Belgium), who will turn 29 in just over a month.
In the material sent by the Milton Keynes (Great Britain) team, Verstappen shakes hands with Laurent Mekies, the director, successor to Christian Horner after the Brit was dismissed just over a year ago. The figure of the French engineer and his way of managing the team have been decisive for the four-time champion not to succumb to the constant temptation of Mercedes, which has always been there.
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“That Max continues with us and that we keep the best driver on the grid is fantastic news for Red Bull, for F1, and for motorsport in general,” Mekies rejoices. “Very few partnerships in sport achieve what Max and this team have accomplished. From the beginning, Max has embodied everything that makes Red Bull special: uncompromising competitiveness, unwavering determination, and the courage to challenge the established,” the technician elaborates.
After the four consecutive crowns between 2021 and 2024, McLaren’s resurgence interrupted a phenomenal streak, the regulatory framework introduced this year, with the transformation of the Red Bull brand after Horner’s departure and changes in partners (Honda left and Ford joined as engine supplier), has still pushed the energy car a little further from the top of the standings. When the calendar passes its midpoint, precisely this weekend, Verstappen is sixth in the overall table, with half the points of the leader, Kimi Antonelli, who will surely breathe a little easier knowing that, at least in the medium term, Mercedes will not put the most voracious competitive animal F1 has produced next to him.
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