Max Verstappen has revealed that the next move in his Formula One career will be his ‘last’.
The 27-year-old has never shied away from hinting that he could be tempted to walk away from the sport and seek an early retirement, despite enjoying such a successful spell at present.
Verstappen’s current contract with Red Bull expires at the end of the 2028 season and he would not be short of suitors if he was to run down his deal. Teams have attempted to lure him elsewhere as recently as the last few months too, with Mercedes eyeing the Dutchman as a potential Lewis Hamilton replacement.
Verstappen has now spoken out about his future plans, explaining that he has no intention of jumping ship throughout his career in a statement which will give Red Bull hope of tying the three-time world champion down to a new deal.
Asked by Sky Italia about his plans, Verstappen explained: “Everything that awaits in the future is still a long way off and not an issue right now. My next step, if there is one, will be the last.
“At the moment, anything is possible. Ultimately, every driver in the paddock wants to win. It is very easy to change teams, but I don’t want my career to be marked in this way.”
“I don’t want to be part of four or five different teams. I want to build a long and stable relationship with everyone in the team and I want to feel at home somewhere.
“Changing teams is not really my thing and it is not something I want to do at this stage of my career.”
Talk about where Verstappen’s future lies has been rife this season, with Christian Horner’s off-track saga and Adrian Newey’s departure expected to have caused unrest.
Red Bull chief Helmut Marko fuelled that speculation further recently by confirming that Verstappen has a clause in his current contract which would allow him to depart.
The 81-year-old told sport.de: “The danger is there. If the whole thing no longer suits him, you can expect him to say from one day to the next, ‘That’s it!’
“Most top drivers have exit clauses that are performance-related. Max has one too. This means that if we can’t provide him with a car in which he can drive at the front, that is certainly something he will consider.”
