Verstappen has chosen Red Bull until 2030 — but should he have left?

Max Verstappen’s decision to extend his Red Bull contract until the end of 2030 is a major show of commitment. It ends months of speculation surrounding the four-time world champion’s future and gives Red Bull the sport’s most valuable driver for the start of Formula 1’s new era. But was it the right decision?

Red Bull are fourth in the constructors’ championship after the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix, behind Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren. Verstappen has yet to win a race this season and is sixth in the drivers’ standings. For a team that defined the ground-effect era through Verstappen’s title-winning run, its remarkably sub-par.

Verstappen’s deal is effectively an extension and adds two years to his previous contract, which had been set to run through 2028 and said to be worth anything between £70million and £100million a year - depending on who you speak to.

He has described Red Bull as a “second family” and said he wants to help the team return to the front, while team principal Laurent Mekies has emphasised the strength of their long-term relationship.

The concern is not simply that the 2026 car started slowly. It is that Red Bull’s dominant organisation has been steadily stripped of several influential figures in recent years and subsequently from them outside there appears to be a distinct lack of identity, leadership and direction.

Adrian Newey’s exit was the most obvious and symbolic loss. Red Bull’s former chief technical officer was fundamental to many of the team’s greatest cars and championship campaigns. His departure deprived the team of one of Formula 1’s most accomplished design minds just as it was preparing for a sweeping regulation reset.

Rob Marshall had already moved to McLaren after a long and influential Red Bull career, while Dan Fallows departed the group’s technical structure for Aston Martin before subsequently leaving that project.

Jonathan Wheatley, Red Bull’s highly regarded sporting director, also left to lead Sauber as it moved towards Audi’s works entry before he too left the project. There are other names too, including Helmut Marko, Christian Horner and McLaren-bound Gianpiero Lambiase. With more expected. Those departures are substantial and the level of experience cannot be replaced in an instant.

A mooted switch to McLaren was not only intriguing, but also made a lot of sense with the team in an ascendancy and with several of those key former Red Bull figures at the Woking based team.

Verstappen, of course, knows all this and his trust in Mekies and the Red Bull operation is applauded. However, we will have to see if that was the right decision for at the moment, it is difficult to see the team capable of producing a world championship-winning machine. Yes, it was a loyal move, and financially beneficial, but only time will tell if it could be a decision that could end up costing him the chance to win more world titles.