Max Verstappen will be driving for Red Bull in 2020, the performance related withdrawal clause that the Dutchman has in his contract has been irrelevant since the pole and podium in Hungary.

The only open question is who will sit next year next to Verstappen in the second Red Bull. Because the medium- to long-term future of team mate Pierre Gasly with the bulls is anything but certain. Helmut Marko confirmed that the 2019 season will end with the Frenchman. But it remains to be seen how things will continue afterward.

Team boss Christian Horner recently called Gasly to account and demanded better results. If he doesn’t deliver them in the second half of the season, there could be opportunities for other drivers.

It seems that at the top of the list is Daniil Kvyat.

“I was very impressed. He was always good in the wet. He brought everything together and made no mistakes,” Marko praised during an interview with Sky Sports F1.

“We know that he can be a fast Formula 1 driver.”

Nevertheless, Red Bull let him go at the end of 2017. Kvyat temporarily spent 2018 as a simulator driver with Ferrari before returning to the Toro Rosso cockpit in 2019. “He has become much more mature with Ferrari,” Marko remarks.

“In former times he wasn’t so mentally strong. It was an up and down. Now he’s getting the most out of the car,” praises Marko and explains that Kvyat now brings the “complete package” with him. However, he doesn’t want to comment on a possible return to the Red Bull cockpit. “We should take it step by step. First of all, he’s doing a very good job at Toro Rosso,” says Marko.

“At the end of the year we’ll see what happens next year,” the Austrian announces. Kvyat already drove the 2015 season for Red Bull, but was replaced by Verstappen after the first three races of the 2016 season and sent back to Toro Rosso, where he also lost his place a little over a year later.

Kvyat’s teammate Alexander Albon may also have a good chance of being an outsider. The rookie was last described by Marko as a “high-flyer”. No, it’s still pretty quiet,” confirms Albon and explains: “I’m just concentrating on doing my job. Nothing has changed since the beginning of the year. There were no additional talks.”

But he himself is “not worried” about his future. Because given his performance, it is more than likely that he will at least have his place at Toro Rosso 2020. The decision on the second Red Bull cockpit could drag on a little while longer.

Red Bull aren’t known for quick decisions.

Hamilton & Verstappen exchange teams?

The rumours of a possible exchange of teams between Hamilton and Verstappen, starting from 2021, are becoming more and more persistent and according to the Italian motorsport journalist Giorgio Terruzzi, Ferrari might well be the key to this possibility happening.

Yes, the drivers market known as ‘silly season’ is firmly upon us as we head into the summer break, but for the drivers, ‘chats’ and messages go back and forth catching the ear of those who are able to listen make for interesting note-taking.Indeed when you look at Mercedes, Bottas certainly didn’t do too much in Hungary last weekend to convince the bosses that he should have his contract extended, despite some impressive performances thus far. Which leads us onto………  READ MORE