Max Verstappen has pulled back the curtain on his Red Bull future and his F1 retirement plans. The four-time champion is under contract with the Milton Keynes outfit until 2028, but certain performance clauses allow him to leave the team before its completion.
In 2025, when Verstappen’s struggles intensified as Red Bull witnessed a drop in performance in the first half of the season, a new exit clause in his contract emerged. A report claimed that the Dutchman could depart the team if he fell below third in the drivers’ standings by the midpoint of a season.
Heading into 2026, Max Verstappen’s future at Red Bull after the upcoming season remains a question mark. In a recent interview with German publication Blick, the 28-year-old was asked about how long he intends to keep racing.
“I’m 28 now and have a contract with Red Bull until 2028,” Verstappen replied. “I want to fulfill that too. At this point in time, I rule out a team change. It’s a shame that I no longer have my friend and sponsor Helmut Marko by my side in 2026. I will miss him.”
Replying to a follow-up question about the possibility of him racing in F1 into his 40s like Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso not existing, Verstappen added:
“You bet. At the age of 40, I might still be in the pits as team principal in another series.
Unlike most of his F1 rivals, Max Verstappen isn’t bound to the series as his only job. He has a GT racing team and is also passionate about branching his racing career into GT3 racing, having made his NLS debut and won at the Nurburgring Nordschelife last year.
Max Verstappen teases a future in MotoGP
Max Verstappen is crystal clear about F1 not being a part of his long-term goals. He has emphasized on multiple occasions that he isn’t chasing records, and his obsession with racing extends beyond open-wheel racing.
In the aforementioned interview, Verstappen was also asked to address his passion for GT3 racing and his dream of racing in the Nurburgring 24 Hours. In his response, the Red Bull driver also teased an interest in MotoGP.
“I enjoy such adventures, Because at some point, Formula 1 is no longer an issue for me, but other races are. Even MotoGP can inspire me,” Verstappen said.
In November last year, Max Verstappen shared that MotoGP was his Plan B if F1 or other four-wheel racing hadn’t worked out for him. A couple of months before that, Motorsport had reported that the four-time F1 champion was looking to acquire a MotoGP team. However, there have been no updates on that front since then.
Verstappen’s future at Red Bull will depend on the capability of the Ford engines. If Mercedes indeed dominates, considering the rumors about its supreme power units, the Dutchman could jump ship in 2027.
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