Max Verstappen's decision to extend his contract with Red Bull through 2030 was not driven by the team's recent car upgrades. Amid months of speculation that included interest from McLaren after Mercedes' pursuit of the four-time F1 drivers' champion cooled, the Dutchman had even entertained walking away from Formula 1 altogether before signing fresh terms in August.
Those negotiations took place against the backdrop of a difficult start to the RB22 campaign, with Red Bull well off the pace in the opening rounds before incrementally closing the gap. That progress culminated in Verstappen fighting for victory on merit at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, finishing just two tenths behind winner George Russell, before taking a maiden win at the following round at the Sepang International Circuit.
Asked whether Red Bull knew its upgrades would deliver the gains they achieved and whether that influenced negotiations, team principal Laurent Mekies told media including RacingNews365: "The short answer is no. We were not waiting for a magic upgrade that was supposed to come and bring us to the performance."
Speaking after Verstappen and Red Bull triumphed at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Mekies explained that the Baku upgrade and subsequent floor board revisions for Sepang were understood internally as the final piece of a development cycle rather than a surprise breakthrough. "We knew we had upgrades," the Frenchman stated. "We actually knew that Baku would be the last one. It was continuing the trend of the development of the car."
Mekies added that at the time of discussions, the team felt they would likely struggle to close the final three tenths, meaning the upgrade package was not an argument used to convince Verstappen. Instead, conversations centred on the broader trajectory of the chassis department under technical director Pierre Wache and the Ford-backed power unit project led by Red Bull Powertrains technical director Ben Hodgkinson, focusing on long-term lap time opportunities.
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