Jos Verstappen responds to Max's new deal with Red Bull Racing

On Thursday morning, August 20, Red Bull and Verstappen announced the deal. This extends his stay through 2030, after his previous contract ran until the end of 2028. The confirmation puts an end to rumours about Verstappen’s future destination. Before the summer break, the Dutchman made it clear there was nothing to add regarding his contract situation, but speculation about a move to McLaren and Mercedes continued at the time.

Ahead of his final home Grand Prix, Verstappen announced that he’s not going anywhere. Father Jos Verstappen is pleased. “The most important thing right now is to restore calm on this front,” the 54-year-old told Formule 1 Magazine. With good conversations and a lot of trust, Verstappen’s previous contract was opened up and extended, he says. “I have to say, Raymond did a good job, together with Oliver Mintzlaff from Red Bull,” Verstappen senior continued.

“The main argument is that there is mutual trust. Otherwise, of course, we wouldn’t have signed the contract,” he adds. Sporting matters naturally remain a major factor. At the moment, Red Bull isn’t performing exactly as Verstappen would like, but the team is showing they want to move forward together. “Yes, there’s confidence that we’ll have a winning car again at Red Bull. But to what extent they can actually make that happen is always a wait-and-see, you never know.”

As in any top driver’s contract in Formula 1, agreements have been made. In recent weeks there has been much speculation about the exit clauses in Verstappen’s contract. The contents are, of course, known only to Team Verstappen, Red Bull, and the Contract Recognition Board. “Those (sporting matters, ed.) are for the team to take care of. Naturally, there are agreements about that in the contract. What those agreements are, we know and Red Bull knows, and we’re not going to shout it from the rooftops,” Verstappen senior made clear.

The four-time world champion was naturally asked about his extended contract. Speaking to, among others, GPblog, Verstappen said that the deal came together over the past few weeks, during the summer break. “While I was, of course, enjoying my vacation, we were also talking behind the scenes and decided to extend the contract with the team,” the Red Bull driver revealed. “I’m obviously very happy about that.”

Verstappen also said the talks went well and smoothly. “I really feel at home here. Plus, I’ve been working with Laurent for over a year now, and for me that collaboration is very clear and pleasant. The fact that we were then able to reach a new agreement is great,” said Verstappen. “It feels like a second family to me. Of course, I came to this team hoping I could win races, and by now we’ve won four titles together.”

Although things haven’t always gone smoothly in recent months, Verstappen sees it as a challenge to work with Red Bull again toward a sporting peak. “That’s why I feel at home here. I’m just incredibly happy with the extension. I hope the team is too,” he laughed. “But yes, I’m obviously very happy, and hopefully we can just keep working together and try to get back to the top.”