Why did Max Verstappen choose to extend the adventure with Red Bull despite the current difficulties ? Jos Verstappen lifts the veil on a decision that was much less obvious than it seems.
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Max Verstappen ultimately chose continuity. After months of speculation about his future, the four-time world champion committed to Red Bull until the end of the 2030 season.
But listening to his father Jos, this decision was not obvious at all.
“It’s a difficult choice,” admits Verstappen Sr. to PlaySports. Because the Dutchman’s camp did not just evaluate Red Bull’s current situation: they also studied the possibilities that could be available to Max elsewhere.
“You also have to look at what possibilities might exist in other teams. That’s why we decided to stay.”
What the Verstappen camp knows about the Red Bull engine
Another part of Jos Verstappen’s statements is probably even more revealing.
“We also know what’s going on behind the scenes with the Red Bull engine,” he slips.
He doesn’t say more, but the remark is not trivial. The engine program is one of the main challenges of the Red Bull project since the new regulations came into effect in 2026.
By choosing to commit until 2030, Verstappen is also betting on Red Bull’s ability to progress with its own power unit. And his entourage makes this decision with knowledge of the internal situation obviously far superior to what is available from the outside.
That does not mean, however, that the Verstappen camp expects an immediate turnaround. Jos rather expresses a hope: “We hope they will be more competitive again next year and that we can fight for victories again.”
“He understands the car”: Mekies’ decisive impact on Max’s choice
Laurent Mekies also seems to have helped convince Verstappen to continue the adventure.
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Jos Verstappen notably insists on the ease of communication with the Frenchman, but also on his background as an engineer.
“Laurent is really a very positive person. He is pleasant and open to communication. I think that is very important. Team principals who have an engineering background understand better what is happening with the car and within the team. That is something positive.”
After the turbulence Red Bull has gone through in recent seasons, the stability regained around Mekies therefore seems to have weighed in the balance.
And Jos finally advances another reason, more personal: rebuilding with Red Bull would have more value than joining a team that already has the best car.
“If we can get the team back on track and start winning again, that will have more impact than if he had decided to join another team that was already winning.”
The loyalty invoked by Jos Verstappen, however, tells only part of the story…
Staying at Red Bull also presents very concrete advantages for Max: the team has long been built around him and offers him a rare freedom in Formula 1, notably to develop his own structure and compete in GT or endurance races, including behind the wheel of cars from other manufacturers.
In Milton Keynes, the Dutchman also knows perfectly the people, the methods, and the resources engaged to try to right the ship, from the new wind tunnel to the development of the Red Bull-Ford engine.
Above all, none of the alternatives explored seemed to offer him sufficiently superior guarantees to justify starting from scratch. And since the announced regulatory changes appear to have eased some of his reservations about current F1, staying in an environment tailored around him was perhaps, in the end, the least risky choice.
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