Jan.13 (GMM) Max Verstappen admits his commitment to Red Bull dropped below “100 percent” during the course of the tumultuous 2024 season.
Although the Dutchman ultimately clinched his fourth consecutive world championship, behind-the-scenes chaos surrounding the Christian Horner saga and power struggle ultimately preceded a loss of on-track performance.
At one point, the 27-year-old even went public with his threat to quit Red Bull if his mentor Dr Helmut Marko was pushed out.
“I meant it,” Verstappen told De Telegraaf newspaper. “It wasn’t a bluff. And they know that within the team too.”
When asked if he had doubts about his future at Red Bull at that point, he admitted: “Well, the feeling wasn’t quite 100 percent. There was a lot going on.
“On the other hand, I don’t think that if something goes wrong, you can just say ‘I’m leaving’. That’s not how I am.”
However, he admits that he had serious talks with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, egged on by his father Jos, who was one of the most critical of team boss Horner.
Asked if Jos might be accused of not acting in his best interests at the time, Verstappen insisted: “That’s nonsense.
“My father sees the bigger picture very quickly. And that certain things that happen have an influence on the future of me and the team. Some people from the outside may not see that.”
Verstappen says it’s crucial that Red Bull gets the performance of the car back on track during the current off-season period.
“If we continue like this, I will not be champion next year,” he said. “It’s that simple. And we all know that.
“I trust that the team can fix the balance problems of last season. And certain things that we could not change last year will be changed for this year. We know that it has to be better over the kerbs, bumps and in the slow corners.”
At the same time, Verstappen says he knows “for sure” that Red Bull’s performance woes were magnified by some highly suspicious technical details at key rival McLaren.
“There were things that happened in the background which meant that we had no chance at all in certain races,” he said. “I know that for sure, but no one will ever admit it.”