Red Bull racing driver Max Verstappen has stated that returning to V10 engines could convince him to stay in Formula 1 longer.
The Dutchman is currently contracted with the Milton Keynes-based squad until the end of the 2028 season.
However, where his future lies beyond that season is unknown, with Verstappen hinting at a move away from the sport by expressing interest in other categories in the world of motorsport.
As well as the desire to venture into different motorsports, the four-time F1 World Champion has indicated his disapproval for the ‘over-regulation’ of the sport and the number of races on the calendar.
Scraps with the FIA over his use of swearing and the community service punishment that followed won’t have helped his case to remain in the sport.
But the recent discussions over a possible return to V10 engines may have piqued Verstappen’s interest.
The governing body’s president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, raised the topic as he hopes to explore the possibility of running the ever-popular engines on sustainable fuels.
When asked if knowing that F1 would return to V10s would encourage him to stay longer, Verstappen gave an intriguing response.
“Maybe, yeah,” the 27-year-old told media including Motorsport Week.
“It’s definitely more exciting than what we have currently.
“I’m not in charge of the rules.
“But of course, for the pure emotion of the sport, a V10 is definitely much better than what we have now.
“Because I remember as a kid, when you walk around and you heard the noise of the engines, it just brings so much more, even if the speed of the car was maybe slower.
“Just the feeling you got from an engine like that is something that you can’t describe compared to what we have now.”
Questions over Verstappen’s future with Red Bull
Whilst Verstappen is not ready to call it quits on F1 just yet, rumours over his future with Red Bull have been circulating amidst the team’s struggles with the car.
Thanks to the talents of the multiple World Champion, he resides in second place in the Drivers’ Standings after finishing second and fourth in the opening races.
In the other garage, his former team-mate Liam Lawson failed to score any points before he was demoted to the sister Red Bull team to be replaced by Yuki Tsunoda.
The Kiwi languished down the order, highlighting the struggles with the car this year, as Tsunoda leaves Racing Bulls with a chance to impress in front of his home crowd in the main team.
After a dip in performance midway through the 2024 season, reports emerged that Verstappen was considering a move away from the Red Bull family.
With the continued struggles with the RB21 in 2025, the reports have resurfaced as the former F1 driver Robert Doornbos suggested in an interview with Ziggo Sport’s Race Café that Verstappen has “secretly said goodbye” to Red Bull already.
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner, however, insists that Verstappen’s focus remains on improving the car.
“Max is working harder than I’ve ever seen him,” Horner told Sky Sports F1.
“He’s more integrated into the engineering group than I’ve ever seen; as he said, he seems to be enjoying that aspect.
“So he’s not getting super stressed; he’s of course, like any driver, impatient [with] performance.”
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