64 GPRACING MARCH 2020
him then thethird-highest-paiddriver in F1–
at the back endof 2017 to wardoff supposed
interestfrom Mercedes. The late Niki Lauda even
poked fun at fellow Austrian HelmutMarko in
a subsequent TVinterv iew, suggesting playfully
that Red Bull had rushed into agreeingnew terms
out of fearof losing Verstappen, eventhough
Mercedes had“neverofferedhim a contract” and
“never talked to him about money”.
The arrangement made back then was
effectively a one-year contractextens ion, tying
Verstappen down until the endof 2020 –
performance clauses notwithstanding. Given the
uncertainty surrounding F1’s 2021 future at that
time, it made sense not to go beyond this point.
Heading into 2020, with F1’s future direction
now set and teams negotiating new commercial
terms with Liberty Media, we expected Max
Verstappen to once again play a major role in
F1’s perennial driver market ‘silly season’.
Except thistime he and Red Bull caught
everyone on the hop by announcing in early
January that they’d agreed another contract
extension, set to keep Max where he is until at
least the end of 2023. In an instant, one of the
major potential storylines of 2020 – would Max
stay or go – was shut down.
The timing seemed highly unusual, on all
sides. Why now? Why not leave this business
until the summer, when you have a better idea
of whether this year’s promises have been kept
or broken, whether your current team is in
good shapefor the forthcoming major 2021 rule
changes, and what other opportunities may be
available if you feel the needto jump ship? Max
has eschewed all of that, despite wielding serious
power in thedriver market ever since he burst
onto the scene at the end of 2014, after Red Bull
promised him immediate graduation from F3
to F1 to beatMercedes to his signature.
With the new season fast approaching, Max
addressed the media at aspecial press event
at Red Bull’s London HQ near Covent Garden,
organised in advance of winter testing. There he
spoke again of how comfortable he feels inthis
team, that doing this deal now “takes away any
doubt” and prevents any potential awkwardness
emerging once the season is up and running.
Put simply, he doesn’t need the distraction.
Again, he emphasised his contentment with the
environment around him, and the hunger forsuccesshe per ceives in Red Bull’s people.
For Red Bull, theupsides are obvious:
the team has locked down one of F1’s three
biggest current talents to a long-term contract,
mitigating the risk of exposureto Ma x having
his head turned in the coming months by
potential suitors. Ferrari tied Charles Leclerc
down until the end of 2024 not long before
Red Bull announced Max’s new contract; Lewis
Hamilton is widely tipped to sign an extension
with Mercedes but, should those talks break
down irrevocably for whatever reason, you can
bet Verstappen’s name would have been at the
top of Toto Wolff’s shopping list.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner spoke of
the “energy that injected to the whole factory”
when the staff returnedto work after Christmas
to news of Verstappen’s fresh commitment, and
how it would allow histeam to focus onbeating
Ferrari and Mercedes without the potential
distraction of speculation about Max’s future.
“There was a desire from both sides to get
the deal done early,” says Horner when quizzed
separately byGP Racingabout the timing ofthe
announcement. “There was aconfidence level
in both sides: Max believes very much in the
environment we’ve created and thepeople that
we have within the team.
“Max and hismanagement teamhave always
been very straightforward and easyto dealwith.
The upside to it was justgetting that speculation
out of the way early, andgoing into the yearwith
everybody knowingthis is a longer-term project
than justthe 12-month scenario – particularly
[with] the big rule change coming in 2021 as well.
“Max really believes in the team; we very
much believe in him. That extension was very,
very straightforward. It’s one of the most
straightforward [negotiations] I’ve ever had –
in a relatively shorttime frame. It took
everybody bysurprise, but it was an early good,
New Year surprise and bonusfor everybody, and
itjust puts more injection [of momentum] into
it – that Max believes in us, we believe in
ourselves, that we can really take this fight,
hopefully, to Mercedes.”
Horner says Red Bull was “not really” ever that
concerned Max would havehis headturned by
rival outfits, and that this new deal leaves Lewis
Hamilton as “thelast of the primary drivers
to be out ofcontract” at thetime of writing.“THERE WAS A DESIRE FROM BOTH SIDES
TO GET THE DEAL
DONE EARLY.
THERE WAS A
CONFIDENCE
LEVEL IN BOTH
SIDES: MAX
BELIEVES VERY
MUCH IN THE
ENVIRONMENT
WE’VE CREATED
AND THE PEOPLE
THAT WE HAVE
WITHIN THE
TEAM”CHRISTIAN HORNER
202 0 SEASON PREVIEW
64 GPRACING MARCH 2020
him then thethird-highest-paiddriver in F1–
at the back endof 2017 to wardoff supposed
interestfrom Mercedes. The late Niki Lauda even
poked fun at fellow Austrian HelmutMarko in
a subsequent TVinterv iew, suggesting playfully
that Red Bull had rushed into agreeingnew terms
out of fearof losing Verstappen, eventhough
Mercedes had“neverofferedhim a contract” and
“never talked to him about money”.
The arrangement made back then was
effectively a one-year contractextens ion, tying
Verstappen down until the endof 2020 –
performance clauses notwithstanding. Given the
uncertainty surrounding F1’s 2021 future at that
time, it made sense not to go beyond this point.
Heading into 2020, with F1’s future direction
now set and teams negotiating new commercial
terms with Liberty Media, we expected Max
Verstappen to once again play a major role in
F1’s perennial driver market ‘silly season’.
Except thistime he and Red Bull caught
everyone on the hop by announcing in early
January that they’d agreed another contract
extension, set to keep Max where he is until at
least the end of 2023. In an instant, one of the
major potential storylines of 2020 – would Max
stay or go – was shut down.
The timing seemed highly unusual, on all
sides. Why now? Why not leave this business
until the summer, when you have a better idea
of whether this year’s promises have been kept
or broken, whether your current team is in
good shapefor the forthcoming major 2021 rule
changes, and what other opportunities may be
available if you feel the needto jump ship? Max
has eschewed all of that, despite wielding serious
power in thedriver market ever since he burst
onto the scene at the end of 2014, after Red Bull
promised him immediate graduation from F3
to F1 to beatMercedes to his signature.
With the new season fast approaching, Max
addressed the media at aspecial press event
at Red Bull’s London HQ near Covent Garden,
organised in advance of winter testing. There he
spoke again of how comfortable he feels inthis
team, that doing this deal now “takes away any
doubt” and prevents any potential awkwardness
emerging once the season is up and running.
Put simply, he doesn’t need the distraction.
Again, he emphasised his contentment with the
environment around him, and the hunger forsuccesshe per ceives in Red Bull’s people.
For Red Bull, theupsides are obvious:
the team has locked down one of F1’s three
biggest current talents to a long-term contract,
mitigating the risk of exposureto Ma x having
his head turned in the coming months by
potential suitors. Ferrari tied Charles Leclerc
down until the end of 2024 not long before
Red Bull announced Max’s new contract; Lewis
Hamilton is widely tipped to sign an extension
with Mercedes but, should those talks break
down irrevocably for whatever reason, you can
bet Verstappen’s name would have been at the
top of Toto Wolff’s shopping list.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner spoke of
the “energy that injected to the whole factory”
when the staff returnedto work after Christmas
to news of Verstappen’s fresh commitment, and
how it would allow histeam to focus onbeating
Ferrari and Mercedes without the potential
distraction of speculation about Max’s future.
“There was a desire from both sides to get
the deal done early,” says Horner when quizzed
separately byGP Racingabout the timing ofthe
announcement. “There was aconfidence level
in both sides: Max believes very much in the
environment we’ve created and thepeople that
we have within the team.
“Max and hismanagement teamhave always
been very straightforward and easyto dealwith.
The upside to it was justgetting that speculation
out of the way early, andgoing into the yearwith
everybody knowingthis is a longer-term project
than justthe 12-month scenario – particularly
[with] the big rule change coming in 2021 as well.
“Max really believes in the team; we very
much believe in him. That extension was very,
very straightforward. It’s one of the most
straightforward [negotiations] I’ve ever had –
in a relatively shorttime frame. It took
everybody bysurprise, but it was an early good,
New Year surprise and bonusfor everybody, and
itjust puts more injection [of momentum] into
it – that Max believes in us, we believe in
ourselves, that we can really take this fight,
hopefully, to Mercedes.”
Horner says Red Bull was “not really” ever that
concerned Max would havehis headturned by
rival outfits, and that this new deal leaves Lewis
Hamilton as “thelast of the primary drivers
to be out ofcontract” at thetime of writing.“THERE WAS A DESIRE FROM BOTH SIDES
TO GET THE DEAL
DONE EARLY.
THERE WAS A
CONFIDENCE
LEVEL IN BOTH
SIDES: MAX
BELIEVES VERY
MUCH IN THE
ENVIRONMENT
WE’VE CREATED
AND THE PEOPLE
THAT WE HAVE
WITHIN THE
TEAM”CHRISTIAN HORNER
202 0 SEASON PREVIEW