Verstappen: ‘I would rather stay at home than race in F1 midfield'

Verstappen is enjoying a dominant season in F1 2023, winning 10 of the opening 12 races.

He’s on course to equal Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine consecutive victories at this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix.

Speaking in an interview with Dutch outlet De Telegraaf, Verstappen addressed a question about what he’d do if Red Bull dropped well out of winning contention when the new rules come into play in 2026.

“Then it must be very bad and dramatic, I think,” he said. I also don’t expect a team to fall back that far, with all those good people walking around with us. 

“It can always be the case in this sport that you are not doing well as a team. Then it’s about what the outlook is and what the perspective is. 

“But indeed, I don’t see myself touring around in [the] midfield for three years. Then I would rather stay at home or do something else. But again: I don’t see that happening.”

Verstappen admitted he had some doubts about Red Bull’s potential for F1 success before signing a new long term deal until 2028.

“Not that. But I did think: will it still work here? But we always got back together in the end,” he added.

“A lot has happened within the team over the years. Just look at the switch of engine supplier, from Renault to Honda, and the way in which it is now working on its own engine. 

“There was always something to look forward to. That was the deciding factor to extend my contract.”