Our verdict on Verstappen committing to Red Bull after all

Max Verstappen will remain a Red Bull Formula 1 driver through until the end of 2030 if he sees out his new extension to a deal that he'd previously said might be his last.

A lot has changed in the four years since he made that statement, but this is nevertheless a surprise amid the regular links Verstappen has had to a move elsewhere for much of the past 18 months, and an overt dislike for the latest F1 ruleset that even prompted him to consider publicly whether he would race elsewhere.

How big a coup is this for Red Bull and F1? Was Red Bull ever the problem? And what does it mean for the driver market?

Here are our immediate thoughts:

Rules - not Red Bull - were always Verstappen's main gripe

Jon Noble

It was always the rules, not on-track performance, that produced the biggest risk to Red Bull of losing Max Verstappen.

While there will be a sense of relief within the corridors of its Milton Keynes factory that Verstappen is now committed for the long term, it would be wrong to say that such an outcome was guaranteed when the season kicked off.

In fact, insiders suggest that Verstappen's open angst about the 2026 regulations, and the loss of pure racing, meant the danger was real in making him throw the towel in and going to get his fun elsewhere if things did not improve.

So while Red Bull knows there is work to do to make its chassis better, and improve it overall power unit (beyond the internal combustion engine), the catalyst that put things back in its hands to get Verstappen locked down was F1 accepting that F1's 50/50 power split era wasn't a success.

The changes introduced for this year have been a pigeon step, and next year's shift will not be a revolution, but in Verstappen's head the timeframe of 2028 - where F1's 60/40 plan should come into force - is one of perfect alignment.

By then his team will have had plenty of time to push itself forward, and that means Verstappen can set sights on getting enjoyment from winning - and more importantly racing - once again.

Don't underestimate how big a deal this is for Red Bull

Jack Cozens

Yes, the immediate options elsewhere for 2027 might have dried up, and the hints of a full season of sportscar racing have quietened in recent months, just as the bigger complaints about the 2026 regulations have too.

But don't think for a second this isn't a big deal for Red Bull.

It effectively admitted as much with the wording of its announcement. Red Bull said it was "immensely proud" to confirm that Verstappen was continuing, talking up the achievements that have made this "one of the most successful and defining partnerships in F1 history".

But this is about more than looking back: "It is a powerful statement of mutual trust and ambition - and a shared decision to shape the future together."

Hyperbolic or not, this is the statement that Red Bull will have wanted, and perhaps needed, to make amid perceptions of a brain drain and those closest to Verstappen in the camp departing.

And it's the biggest vindication yet of Red Bull 2.0 under stewardship of Mekies, who said the decision was "rooted in the trust Max and the team have built over many years, as well as Max’s confidence in our people, our culture and our vision for the future".

No qualms about a bit of indulgent wording here. Because yes, you'd be pretty proud too if you'd managed to get the driver who remains the benchmark generational talent to commit to extending a deal that four years ago he said might be his last, right?

Shame for the driver market

Matt Beer

What a massive achievement for Red Bull to tie Verstappen down through to the end of a decade in the middle of a year when it's looked further from the top than at any time since he started winning titles, and in which F1 seemed to be frustrating him more than ever.

If he and Red Bull, plus its in-house engine, can recover championship-winning form together, that will be a great narrative and an achievement on a par with toppling Mercedes in the first place. The story of Verstappen plus Red Bull deserves to end on a high.

But seeing him adapting to and winning at another team, seeing how a different elite driver would fare at Red Bull, watching all the driver market dominoes scatter around a big Verstappen move to Mercedes, McLaren, Aston Martin or anywhere...there would've been a lot of storylines there that I'd have enjoyed seeing play out even more.