'Closer to retiring than changing teams' - Verstappen's new Red Bull deal explained

Max Verstappen, who has extended his contract to 2030, explains why he wanted to stay at Red Bull and his position on F1's rules after earlier criticism; watch Dutch Grand Prix practice live on Sky Sports F1 at 11.30am on Friday, with Sprint Qualifying following at 3.30pm

Max Verstappen said he came closer to retiring from Formula 1 than joining a rival team as he explained his reasons for extending his Red Bull contract.

In a relatively surprise announcement on the eve of his home Dutch Grand Prix, the first race back after the sport's summer break, Red Bull announced that Verstappen had extended his contract with them by two further years, to 2030.

The four-time world champion had been linked with Mercedes in each of the previous two years, while his management were understood to have spoken to McLaren. Verstappen had also called his whole F1 future into question earlier in the year with strong criticism of the sport's current engine rules.

Asked in a Red Bull press conference at Zandvoort following Thursday's announcement if he had been close to considering a future away from Red Bull, and whether there had been the chance to join a rival, Verstappen replied: "I think I was closer to retiring than changing teams!

Asked directly in the later official drivers' press conference about the existence of any rival offers, Verstappen said: "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, does it? Well, not to me."

While Verstappen's previous contract at Red Bull ran to the end of the 2028 season, the deal was known to contain performance break clauses, while it had appeared in the new season's early weeks that the Dutchman might opt to walk away from the sport entirely due to dissatisfaction with the new-for-2026 power unit regulations which feature a near 50-50 split between between electrical and traditional internal combustion power.

But constructive talks between the sport's stakeholders, including drivers, led to early-season refinement of the regulations and an agreement to reduce the contribution of electrical power in 2027 and 2028.

Verstappen said on Thursday: "I have to say after the first few races I said to Laurent [Mekies, Red Bull's team principal], 'don't come to me with any kind of questions about the future, because I don't even know if I want to stay!'

"But honestly, we always kept it very open.