Verstappen wanted to remain “loyal” to Red Bull despite the difficulties of 2024

Max Verstappen gleaned his fourth world title at the end of the 2024 season, a coronation which was not the easiest for the Dutchman. Compared to last year, Red Bull did not crush the competition. Quite the contrary, since it was the Austrian team which found itself in difficulty to the point of falling to third place in the constructors' championship.

But Red Bull's difficulties were not only on the track since at the start of the year, several issues tarnished the team's first months of the campaign. Among them, the case concerning a complaint from an employee for inappropriate behavior against director Christian Horner, ultimately cleared internally, or the various power struggles between the Thai clan supporting the British boss and the Austrian clan represented notably by Helmut Marko, advisor to Red Bull.

These episodes had created a lot of tension within the Milton Keynes team, to the point that rumors about the future of Max Verstappen and his possible departure appeared. Asked about his thoughts during this period, the four-time world champion replied: “I think in life, every year, there are always thoughts that cross our minds: How much longer am I going to want to do this? Where do I want to do this? How do I want to do this? I want to do it?”

“There are things that happen in private life, of course. In the life of a pilot… There are always things to manage and things to think about. But it's not serious. I think that In general you have to be quite relaxed about it because it's very important to separate your private life from your racing life.”

Ultimately, Verstappen did not break his contract and does not seem ready to leave his favorite team. He wants to stay “loyal” at Red Bull, the team that gave him his chance in F1. “It's normal to have these thoughts in your head about what you want to do the future”he added. “But at the same time, I'm also not someone who makes very radical decisions in these kinds of moments. And I'm very happy where I am at the moment.”

“I am very loyal to the team. I appreciate, of course, everything they have done for me, from the moment they took me out of F3 to the moment they offered me a seat in F1, going through all the emotions she has experienced over the years with the key people of the team.”

“When times are hard, it is very easy to say goodbye, to forget or to ignore. But I think it is much more important to face them, to experience them together, to cope with them and to “Trying to move forward, focus on performance again and have fun on track. That's the most important thing. If you're not having fun, then there's no point in continuing.”

Comments collected by Ben Hunt