After winning his fourth title, Verstappen wants to remain "very loyal" to Red Bull

After such a long season, Max Verstappen and Red Bull needed to celebrate this fourth world title, acquired in Las Vegas, as it should be. A part of joy, another of relief but also of relaxation after a stifling and intense campaign, both on the track and behind the scenes. In addition to the difficulties encountered by the Austrian team during the second part of the season, the team based in Milton Keynes was also shaken by controversies from the start of the season: between the Horner affair (accusations of inappropriate behavior against the former personal assistant of the Team Principal), tensions within the management, disagreements between Horner and Marko...

In the midst of all this, Max Verstappen's future was then called into question: the vehemence of his father Jos Verstappen - very critical of Christian Horner and his management - suggested that the now four-time world champion could look elsewhere in the near future. For a long time, Mercedes tried to get a foothold in the Dutchman's path, via Toto wolff, so that he can join the Silver Arrows in 2025 to replace Lewis Hamilton. Without success.

Now crowned for the fourth time, Max Verstappen returned to these speculations with lightness and philosophy, affirming that he had never thought of leaving Red Bull despite the shocks. “In a lifetime, every year, there are thoughts that cross your mind: how long will I want to do this? Where do I want to do this? Under what conditions? There are events in your private life and this is also the case in the life of a racing driver, he said at a press conference. There are always things you have to deal with and think about. But that's okay. I'm usually pretty relaxed about it, because it's very important to separate your private life from your racing life. But it's very good to have those thoughts in your head."

“When times are tough, it’s very easy to say goodbye.”

"I'm very happy where I am at the moment. I'm very loyal to the team, added Max Verstappen. I appreciate, of course, what she did for me, getting me out of the F3 and giving me a seat in F1, and then going through all those emotions over the years with those key people in the team. So when times are tough, it's very easy to say goodbye, to forget or to ignore. But I think it's much more important to face them, to live them together, to deal with them and try to move forward, to focus on performance again and to have fun on the track. That's the most important thing. If you're not having fun, there's no point in continuing."

Contractually tied to Red Bull until 2028, Max Verstappen has always said that he would see out his contract before certainly leaving Formula 1 to discover new disciplines. The Dutchman has never hidden his appetite for theEndurance : moreover, before the Las Vegas Grand Prix, he had the opportunity to test himself behind the wheel of an Acura ARX-06 entered in IMSA, before reiterating his desire to compete in the 24 Hours of Daytona in the future.

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