Max Verstappen leaving Red Bull when his contract expires is now ‘more likely than ever’

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Red Bull may now be powerless to stop Max Verstappen from leaving Formula 1 when his contract expires in 2028, after he revealed he thinks his career is nearing the end.

The four-time F1 champion has often suggested in recent years that he could retire when his contract expires after the 2028 season. But as Verstappen will still only be 31 years old when he is due to become a free agent, not everyone has believed he would walk away altogether.

Instead, much of the talk about the Dutchman’s future is often about him possibly using his exit clause to leave Red Bull for a rival F1 team. Red Bull signed Verstappen to his long-term contract in March 2022, but he sought exit clauses connected to his championship position.

Verstappen can leave Red Bull after the 2026 F1 season should he hit the summer break sat third or below in the F1 drivers’ standings. The 28-year-old had to rank fourth or below last summer to have the choice of using his exit clause, but he was third in the table at the time.

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Max Verstappen leaving F1 after the 2028 season is now ‘more likely than ever’

But Verstappen might have now left Red Bull and Formula 1 with ‘nothing’ available to them to convince the 71-time Grand Prix winner to be on the grid in 2029. That is according to Pit Lane Chronicle, which claims Verstappen leaving F1 after 2028 is now ‘more likely than ever’.

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Red Bull and F1 could be powerless to persuade Verstappen to extend his F1 career for what would be a 15th season in 2029, having debuted for Toro Rosso in 2015, after he stated that he feels his time on the grid is nearing an end, and the 2026 F1 regulations have not helped.

Speaking recently to the Up To Speed podcast, Verstappen admitted he is “definitely closer to the end” of his F1 career, and that he is satisfied with what he has already achieved. Only Lewis Hamilton (105) and Michael Schumacher (91) have won more Grands Prix than he has.

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali tried to play down any fears that Verstappen might leave F1 after the 2028 season during pre-season testing in Bahrain last week. Domenicali said he “knows that Max will be part of the future of F1”, but Verstappen’s exit is increasingly likely.

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Verstappen would already go down in history as one of the most successful F1 drivers of all time if he were to retire before the start of the 2026 season. The Red Bull racer ranks joint-fourth with his four titles, third for Grand Prix wins (71) and third for podium finishes (127).

Should Verstappen see out his current contract at Red Bull through 2028, it is very likely that he will threaten Schumacher in second spot for the most wins and podiums. The seven-time champion German finished his F1 career having taken 91 Grand Prix wins and 155 podiums.

But Verstappen claims his priorities in life are not chasing down long-time rival Hamilton at the top of the F1 record books. Instead, he added that he prefers to spend his time with his family, and that he wants to “really spend time with them before they are also not there”.