What Max Verstappen is constantly saying off the record about his future at Red Bull

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If Max Verstappen chooses to leave Red Bull, it would be one of the most significant moments in Formula 1 history, up there with Lewis Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Ferrari.

That’s because Verstappen is one of the greatest drivers ever, with four world championships to his name already. He’s well on his way to becoming the statistical ‘GOAT’.

Verstappen has won all of those titles, and all 71 races, for Red Bull. December’s season finale in Abu Dhabi was his 210th appearance in their cockpit.

By the end of 2026, he will be up to 234, putting him just 12 short of Hamilton’s all-time record at Mercedes. But there’s a genuine chance he departs before he can break it.

Max Verstappen loves the idea of finishing his career at Red Bull

While his contract runs for another three seasons, Verstappen negotiated exit clauses when he extended in 2022. If Red Bull underperform at the start of F1’s new era, he will be able to leave.

Verstappen has won at least one race every year since joining Red Bull in 2016, and the team have never fallen outside the top three in the championship in that time.

The Milton Keynes outfit are perennial front-runners, but they will build their own engines for the first time this year, in partnership with Ford. This has bred uncertainty over their prospects.

Fill in the gap: Max Verstappen will finish his F1 career with _____ titles

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One theory is that the ‘mercenary’ Verstappen will jump ship to a faster team ‘without a second’s hesitation’ if Red Bull are lagging behind. But The Mirror’s Daniel Moxon says that belies his ‘loyalty’ to Laurent Mekies’ team.

A ‘constant’ theme in his conversations with Verstappen, both on and off the record, is his desire to finish his career at Red Bull. Walking away would be anything but ‘simple’.

The only Formula 1 world champion who didn’t change teams

Publicly, Verstappen says his ‘dream’ is to stay with Red Bull until he retires from F1. His private conversations with Moxon confirm that he isn’t just toeing the party line – this is how he genuinely feels.

Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and George Russell have spent their entire careers within the McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes families, but none can match Verstappen’s longevity at Red Bull.

Jim Clark, whose career was cut short by a fatal accident in 1968, is the only F1 world champion to race in the same colours from his first race until his last (Lotus).

Mercedes are the favourites to sign Verstappen in the event that he does leave Red Bull. He may tolerate missing out on the title, as long as the team show they can compete in 2027 or 2028.