Four-time Formula One world champion Max Verstappen said he “seriously considered” retiring from the sport or joining another team before committing his future to Red Bull with a contract extension through 2030 last month.
Verstappen confirmed he held talks with McLaren and revealed that, at one point, retirement was a more realistic option than switching teams. He made the comments in an interview with German publication Bild.
“You have to take every conversation with another team seriously,” Verstappen said. “But in the end, I was closer to quitting Formula One than to signing with another racing team.”
Verstappen said he genuinely considered walking away from Formula One but ultimately decided his passion for racing was too strong.
“You either quit or you don’t, so it’s a 50/50 decision,” he said. “I seriously considered calling it quits. But at the end of the day, I just love racing.”
Verstappen, 28, won four straight F1 titles from 2021-24 but has not won a race this season. He is currently sixth in the drivers’ standings after finishing second at Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, 147 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes.
Verstappen said he did not sign his new deal with Red Bull last month because of external pressure.
“If both parties want to work together long-term, why wait?” he said. “The criticism doesn’t bother me. I don’t care what others think of me.
“The only thing that matters is how my family, my management, the team and I feel about it. I have to be able to get along with myself, and I can.”
Verstappen said he has nothing left to prove to himself in F1.
“I’m a four-time world champion, and after my first title, I’d already achieved everything I ever wanted,” he said. “I don’t race for the history books, but for myself, the team and our fans. Because of that, the decision was ultimately made quickly.”
Unlike Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso, 45, Verstappen said he does not expect to still be racing in his 40s.
“I don’t think so, but that’s impossible to predict,” he said. “I’ll keep racing as long as I enjoy it.”
The F1 calendar resumes in two weeks at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
