Max Verstappen has made it clear that while there’s a lot of respect for Ferrari as a brand, the Dutch driver is not interested in going to a team and finishing in P5 and P6. The 4-time world champion’s future was a major question mark early in the year when Red Bull had a rather rocky start to the season.
As the year has progressed, Red Bull has grown from strength to strength. So much so that the Dutch driver ended up winning the F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia last week and has been on a very impressive run.
Early in the year, though, there were doubts over whether Max Verstappen would continue to race with Red Bull in 2027, as he was eligible to trigger an exit clause and move to a different team. He was also reported to have had conversations with rivals McLaren and Mercedes before deciding to sign an extension with the Austrian outfit.
In conversation with Sky Sports, the driver was, however, questioned about whether he would like to race for Ferrari someday and if that was one of his aspirations, to which Max Verstappen gave a very pragmatic response: for him, the calls are performance-based, and just for legacy, he won’t make a move to the Italian team. He said,
I only want to win. I am not a nostalgic type. Do I have a lot of respect for the [Ferrari] brand? Absolutely. But if that means you then commit yourself, and you are driving P5 or P6, what’s the point?”
He added,
“I am very performance-driven, and I have won a lot with this team already. it is a second family at Red Bull, and the challenge of rebuilding is what’s driving me.”
Max Verstappen on having an extended F1 career like Fernando Alonso
Just like Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso’s future in F1 was also in doubt as Aston Martin continued to struggle. But in a recent update, the driver announced that he would be racing in F1 in 2027, hence racing in the sport at 46 years of age. When questioned if the Dutch driver wanted to have a similar kind of longevity in the sport, Verstappen felt that this was something that he would certainly not want to do. He said,
“Staying here until then would mean I have dedicated more than half of my life to F1 and that is probably a bit too much.”
He added,
“I have extended for a few more years, and then I will look again and say to myself, ‘Can I commit 100%?’ If not, or there are other fun things around that deserve more time, then maybe I don’t continue. I also want to spend more time at home and see the kids growing up.”
Max Verstappen has extended his current contract with Red Bull beyond 2028 and will be a part of the team until 2030. There are certainly a few exit clauses in place, and the driver’s future with the team would certainly depend on how competitive the car is.
