Max Verstappen seriously considered quitting F1

Max Verstappen has revealed that he seriously considered walking away from Formula 1 altogether before eventually putting pen to paper on a new Red Bull deal through 2030.

The four-time F1 champion's previous contract had run through 2028, but the Dutchman opted to commit to the Milton Keynes-based team for four more seasons, despite talk of a possible switch elsewhere or even a premature retirement.

Speaking to Bild, Verstappen confirmed that talks with McLaren had taken place amid Red Bull's struggles this campaign, albeit thoughts of leaving F1 entirely were uppermost in his mind.

"You have to take every conversation with another team seriously," Verstappen said. "But in the end, I was closer to quitting Formula 1 than to signing with another racing team."

Asked just how close he came to calling time on his career, Verstappen laughed before explaining his thinking.

"You either quit or you don't, so it's a 50/50 decision," he said. "I seriously considered calling it quits. But at the end of the day, I just love racing."

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Naturally, given everything Verstappen has achieved in the sport, he knows he has nothing "to prove to myself".

He added: "I'm a four-time world champion, and after my first title, I'd already achieved everything I ever wanted.

"I don't race for the history books, but for myself, the team, and our fans. Because of that, the decision was ultimately made quickly."

Verstappen, currently sixth in the drivers' standings on 145 points, a staggering 147 behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli, insisted the timing of his new deal with Red Bull reflected a straightforward outlook rather than any external pressure.

"If both parties want to work together long-term, why wait?" he said. "The criticism doesn't bother me. I don't care what others think of me.

"The only thing that matters is how my family, my management, the team, and I feel about it. I have to be able to get along with myself, and I can."

Unlike 45-year-old Fernando Alonso, however, Verstappen does not expect to still be racing in Formula 1 come his mid-40s.

"I don't think so, but that's impossible to predict," he said. "I'll keep racing as long as I enjoy it."