Max Verstappen admits that he has pondered a future away from Red Bull earlier this season, amid the sudden and "messy" winds of disruption that blew through the team.
The Dutchman's journey to his fourth world title in F1, which he sealed in Las Vegas this weekend, wasn't all smooth sailing, whether on the track or off it.
The early months of Red Bull's campaign were overshadowed by a bitter internal investigation involving team principal Christian Horner.
The turmoil fractured the team into separate clans, with Horner on one side and Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko on the other.
However, the Austrian was heavily supported by Jos Verstappen, who added a distressing emotional layer to the situation for Max, uncomfortably caught in the middle of the potentially damaging conflict.
Watching from now on, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff publicly courted Verstappen as a potential replacement for Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton, which triggered a wave of speculation regarding the Dutchman's future and endless scrutiny from the media.
“The beginning was quite, let's say, a bit messy, but I think I'm quite calm in those situations,” Verstappen said after the race.
However, the persistent agitation inevitably kindled doubts that flickered in Verstappen's mind.
“I think in your life, every year there are always thoughts going through your head, from 'How long do I still want to do this?' Where do I want to do this? How do I want to do this?'” Verstappen said after clinching his fourth world title in Las Vegas on Saturday.
“There are things in your private life that happen, of course. In your racing life, there are always things that you have to deal with and think about.
“But that's fine. [I'm] in general quite relaxed about these things because it's very important to split your private life and racing life.
"But it's fine to have these thoughts in your head about what you want to do."
Despite these considerations, Verstappen ultimately reaffirmed his loyalty to Red Bull, emphasizing the bond he shares with the team that brought him into Formula 1.
“At the same time, I'm also not someone who makes very drastic decisions. And I'm just very happy where I'm at, at the moment,” he added.
“I'm very loyal to the team. I appreciate, of course, what they have done for me from picking me up out of F3 and giving me an F1 seat and then going through all these emotions over all the years with these key people in the team.
“So, when there are tough times, it's very easy to say goodbye or forget about it or ignore it. But I think it's actually way more important to actually face them and go through it together and deal with it and just try to just move on from there and focus back, of course, on the performance side of things and have fun out there.
“That's at the end the most important. If you're not having fun, then there's no point to continue.”
©RedBull
Out on the track, the 2024 season posed significant challenges for Verstappen and Red Bull. After a dominant start, the team faced increased competition from McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes.
Verstappen himself endured a 10-race winless streak between Spain and Brazil. Despite these hurdles, I have praised the team's ability to adapt and maintain focus.
“Last year, I had a dominant car, but I always felt that not everyone appreciated what we achieved as a team, winning 10 in a row,” he explained.
“Of course, our car was dominant, but it wasn't as dominant as people thought it was. I will always look back at [2023], because even in places where maybe we didn't have the perfect set-up, we were still capable – because in the race our car was always quite strong – to win races.
"But I'm also very proud of this season because for most of the season, I would say for 70% of the season, we didn't have the fastest car, but actually we still extended our lead. So that is definitely something “that I'm very proud of.”
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