Max Verstappen’s contract extension to stay with Red Bull Racing through at least the 2023 Formula 1 season may have seemed to come early, but Christian Horner hinted at it last month.
Max Verstappen, who signed a three-year contract extension with Red Bull Racing in October of 2017 to remain with the team through the 2020 Formula 1 season, signed an additional three-year contract extension with the team ahead of the 2020 season.
The 22-year-old Dutchman is now committed to the Milton Keynes-based team and engine manufacturer Honda through at least the 2023 season, and he is the second driver with a contract extending beyond 2022.
He is also notably just the fifth of the 20 drivers in the 2020 lineup to have a contract that extends beyond the 2020 season, and the fact that so few drivers are under contract beyond the conclusion of the year has led many to believe that there will be quite a bit of driver movement across the grid leading into 2021.
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Verstappen had been considered the top free agent in the loaded upcoming free agent class, and there were rumors that he could end up replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes should Hamilton leave the team to replace Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari.
With Red Bull Racing slated to enter their second season with Honda as an engine manufacturer, much of this speculation was fueled by the idea that they needed to improve to the point where they could give Verstappen a car capable of challenging Hamilton and Mercedes for the championship following a 2019 season that saw them make several but not enough strides to do so.
However, Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner never shared the belief that there would necessarily be a ton of driver movement across the grid ahead of the 2021 season, when Liberty Media’s new rules and regulations, including a budget cap that notably excludes driver salaries, are slated to go into effect.
In dishing his thoughts about the matter last month, Horner stated that there are several top-tier drivers who are already happy where they are and would have no reason to leave their current top-tier teams.
Amid speculation about Verstappen’s future, he stated that Verstappen was one of those drivers.
Here is what Horner had to say about the matter, according to Motorsport.
"“I think all the top guys are out of contract for the end of next year. He [Verstappen] is very happy in this team. We love having him in the team, he fits very well here. It’s down to us to give him a competitive car next year, but I think ultimately when the music stops I wouldn’t be at all surprised for everybody to end up remaining in the same seats.“I think [Charles] Leclerc’s under contract at Ferrari. Lewis obviously is pretty happy in his environment. Max is happy in his environment. So if they’re sitting in competitive cars next year, why would they swap, or why would they move?”"
So while the fact that Verstappen’s new deal came more than two months ahead of the start of the 2020 season did come as somewhat of a surprise, Horner did hint that he likely wasn’t going anywhere and that he would end up signing a contract extension sooner or later anyway.
In a competitive car at an improving top-tier team where he is clearly the number one driver who they can build around, why would he seek to move?
In a Formula 1 Silly Season that is still slated to feature quite a bit of chaos on the rumor front, could more drivers end up sticking around with their current teams like Christian Horner expects, just like Max Verstappen?