Max Verstappen has already stated on numerous occasions, he does not intend to stay old in Formula 1. In fact, the three-time World Champion recently declared that “the next step” of his career in the discipline will be the last.
This statement will once again fuel speculation around his future with Red Bull and with F1. However, the current leader of the World Drivers’ Championship leaves the door open to a contract extension with the Austrian team and recalls that “everything is still possible”. This could then mean that he would retire beyond the 2028 season, competing in his final Grand Prix behind the wheel of a Red Bull.
In recent months, Mercedes has not hidden its interest in the Batavian driver with a view to replacing Lewis Hamilton, leaving for Scuderia Ferrari. The team led by Toto Wolf has finally formalized the arrival of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, driver from the Mercedes fold.
Other, more recent rumors see Max Verstappen joining Aston Martin in the coming years. We must not forget that the Silverstone team now has brand new infrastructure, a new state-of-the-art wind tunnel and will be under the leadership of Adrian Newey from next season.
Regardless, as Max Verstappen told Sky Italia, “my next step, if there is one, will be the last. This could also mean that I renew my current contract. Everything is still possible today.”
What has caused certain rumors to grow in recent months is a possible clause in the contract that binds Max Verstappen to Red Bull and which would allow the Dutch driver to leave the team before 2028. Asked about this mysterious clause, Max Verstappen remained incomplete. : “Maybe, maybe not”.
“It’s also not something I’m thinking about right now because there are so many things I want to improve on this year and anything that comes in the future is still a long way off”he declared.
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Towards a future far from Red Bull?
The reigning World Champion recalled that he had been part of this team for many years and that he did not want to change teams as soon as the tide began to turn.
“I have been part of this team for a long time,” he added. “Ultimately, every driver in the paddock wants to win. It’s very easy to change teams, but I don’t want my career to be marked that way. I don’t want to be on four or five different teams.”
“I want to build a long and stable relationship with each team member and I want to feel at home somewhere. Changing teams isn’t really my thing and it’s not something I want to do at this stage of my career.”
In your opinion, should Max Verstappen only consider the rest of his career with the Austrian firm?
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