How the new deal between Verstappen and Red Bull Racing came about

Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen have reached an agreement on a new contract. The Dutchman will sign a multi-year deal with an annual fee between 40 and 50 million. Read here how the new deal came about.

Marko discovers a talent

In 2014, Verstappen was noticed by Helmut Marko. The Austrian talent scout of Red Bull had been watching Jos Verstappen's son for some time, but at the Norisring the young driver impressed in the rain. In his first year in the formula cars, he drove the entire field home in difficult conditions. It earned him a deal at Red Bull, plus a seat in Formula 1.

Jos Verstappen and Raymond Vermeulen had thus achieved their first goal: to guide Max to F1. The duo had also talked to Mercedes and Ferrari, but none of these teams offered Verstappen a seat in F1. Marko went ahead and reserved a seat at Toro Rosso. The Austrians were very confident.

Although there was a lot of criticism about the arrival of the youngest F1 driver ever, Red Bull always kept its foot down. Verstappen indeed had only one year of experience in motorsport, but according to Marko, he was more mature than anyone else at his age. The Dutchman made mistakes in his first year but did beat the much more experienced Carlos Sainz in points over the entire first year. In addition, Verstappen also finished fourth twice.

The swap with Kvyat

After four mediocre performances by Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull Racing had had enough in 2016. The battle at Toro Rosso was increasing between Sainz and Verstappen, and Marko decided to pass on the best of the two. It was the younger Verstappen who was given the seat which didn't do much good to Sainz's confidence, but in Barcelona the Limburger immediately showed why Red Bull had dared to take the gamble, taking a victory in his first race.

In 2016 and 2017, Red Bull didn't yet have the car to win a title with, but Verstappen was already able to rack up some victories. His growth also earned him a new contract in early 2018. Daniel Ricciardo started to feel like he was becoming more of a second-tier driver and at the end of 2018, he decided a move to Renault was his best option. 

Team leader of Red Bull Racing

After a sloppy start in 2018 with many mistakes, the penny seemed to drop for Verstappen from Canada 2018 onwards. The Dutchman then got everything out of his car at every race and could hardly be caught in 2019 either. He would continue that line in 2020, even though a real battle for the title remained far away.

After Ricciardo's departure, Verstappen also became the clear team leader at Red Bull Racing. Pierre Gasly, in his six months at Red Bull, showed that it is not so easy to step in alongside Verstappen, and Alexander Albon provided the same conclusion after a year and a half. For Red Bull, it became apparent that they cannot do without Verstappen. 

Although Verstappen signed a new contract at Red Bull at the beginning of 2018, it also quickly leaked out that there was pressure on Red Bull with this new contract.  Verstappen and his management had it written into the contract that he was free to go wherever he wants if there is no top-three spot by mid-season in 2019.

That seems to be an even bigger risk for Red Bull Racing if they make the switch to Honda engines, which had not taken victory in decades. In the series Drive to Survive, you can hear Christian Horner doubting Red Bull's future in Formula One if Verstappen were to leave. However, Verstappen makes it to third place and notices an upward trend with the arrival of Honda.

In 2020, Verstappen, therefore, signs another deal with Red Bull in which he commits himself until 2023. The Dutchman believed that Red Bull is the team that can help him to the world title. If not with this generation of cars, then with the new ones that will be built from 2022 onwards. Meanwhile, the team around him was also being strengthened, with the arrival of Sergio Perez in 2021.

The first Formula One world title

In 2021, it becomes clear from the start that Verstappen can compete with Lewis Hamilton and finally there is that chance for the world title. Due to bad luck for Verstappen, it remained exciting for a year, but in the closing stages of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix he finally had some luck and won his very first world title. Afterward, the Dutchman immediately said that he would not want to drive for any other team. Can we continue to do this for another ten to fifteen years?

The pressure is off the Verstappen. For years they worked towards this one goal and now that it has been achieved they can finally enjoy it. Jos and Max have both said that this will make them a little more relaxed. 'Otherwise, you have to keep pushing and you might have changed teams,' Jos said for example in Verstappen - Lion Unleashed.

Verstappen wants to repay the trust

That urge is no longer there for the Verstappen family now. Max is happy to stay at Red Bull. The 24-year-old driver has no dream of driving for Ferrari, but would much rather be with people around him that he trusts. At Red Bull, they gave him a chance and he hasn't forgotten that. Six years he had to wait for a championship-winning car, but he is now sure that his team can make it.

All parties indicated after Abu Dhabi that there would be a new contract, and with Wednesday morning's announcement, that has now been confirmed. The Dutchman is signing a multi-year contract, as contracts are more often described lately. It is expected that Verstappen, like his friend Lando Norris, will be fixed until 2025. Indeed, until that year the current engine regulations last.