Verstappen tackles Mercedes rumor after 4th F1 triumph

Max Verstappen discusses Mercedes speculation and reflects on his fourth F1 title, expressing pride in his achievements with Red Bull.

Max Verstappen declines to consider his future with Red Bull after securing his fourth F1 title but admits he thought about a move to Mercedes F1 during the season.

Verstappen clinched his fourth world championship by finishing fifth in the Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix. The Dutchman joins an elite group of drivers, including Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, and Lewis Hamilton, who have won four consecutive championships.

Despite his success over the past four years, his future in F1—and with Red Bull—remains a recurring topic of discussion.

Mercedes expressed serious interest in signing Verstappen earlier this year, while he has ruled out staying in F1 beyond his 40s, unlike Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

Speaking after his triumph, Verstappen was asked about his future and whether it might be time to seek another challenge with a different team in F1 or elsewhere.

“Not necessarily. For me, I’m just very proud to be part of the team. We’re celebrating our fourth world title together. It’s certainly not on my mind. Nothing else is occupying me at the moment, and as for post-F1, as you know, I’m preparing for it, but it’s not happening anytime soon.”

“Winning is amazing. It’s been a very long season, with many races—some great, some tough. It was about optimizing based on the tracks.”

“Of course, sometimes it was about damage limitation. In the end, I’m just very proud of what we’ve achieved.”

And what about the Mercedes F1 rumor?

“Yes, I thought about Mercedes. To be honest, I think every year in your life, certain thoughts cross your mind: ‘How much longer do I want to do this?’, ‘Where do I want to do this?’, ‘How do I want to do this?’. Things in your private life influence your career as a driver. So, there are always things you need to face and think about. But that’s okay. I think, overall, you stay pretty relaxed about it because it’s important to separate your personal life from your racing life.”

“At the same time, I’m not someone who makes drastic decisions. I’m very happy with my current situation. I’m very loyal to the team. I truly appreciate what they’ve done for me, taking me out of F3 and giving me a seat in F1, then going through all these emotions together over the years with the key people in the team.”

“So, when tough moments arise, it’s easy to say goodbye, forget, or ignore them. But I believe it’s much more important to face those challenges, get through them together, manage them, and then move forward—focusing on performance and having fun. Ultimately, that’s what matters most. If you’re not enjoying it, there’s no reason to continue.”

Despite the tougher nature of his title win, 2023 remains Verstappen’s favorite season.
“Each championship is different. Last year is still my favorite. Yes, it was dominant, though sometimes I feel people didn’t fully appreciate what we achieved. We won 10 consecutive races.”

“We had a dominant car, but I don’t think it was as dominant as people believe. This one means a lot—the way we managed everything.”

Did he ever doubt his lead would be enough?
“I never really liked believing that, but sometimes it felt very difficult. I didn’t want to give up—I’m not like that anyway. Sometimes it wasn’t easy with the car; there was an obvious lack of pace in certain places, but we managed to get the best result possible, or even more than we deserved.”

“In the end, most of the time, you create your own luck, and I think that’s what we did for the most part.”

As Zak Brown, McLaren F1’s CEO, came over to congratulate him, Max quipped: “You said I could only win in the best car—now that’s no longer the case.”