For now the dust has settled from the furore surrounding the Red Bull Racing team which at the turn of the year became engulfed in a saga that threatened to break up the winning elements of the reigning Formula One world champions. In Melbourne, Max Verstappen sought to calm the rumours of him considering pastures new with the vague commitment that for now it was “intention” to see through his current driver contract until 2028.

Yet there was an element of ambiguity in Verstappen’s attempted assertion, which merely served to increase the speculation on who would be found to replace the current world champion at RBR.

 

 

 

Ferrari ‘dream option’ for Max

It would appear counter intuitive that Max would seek to break up the inner circle which has seen him triumph for the past three seasons and has set him on course this year for a fourth consecutive F1 drivers’ championship.

However, paddock folk believe Max has been persuaded by his father that he is the magic formula bringing glory to his Milton Keynes based team and that his special skills would do the same if he drove for another F1 team.

However, the one place Verstappen may have a chance of beating his Red Bull family is off the table, as Ferrari recently signed Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton for the foreseeable future. 

Mercedes have openly courted Verstappen and Toto Wolff has sought to capitalise on the internal Red Bull dispute by holding private talks with both members of the Verstappen family and he was seen eating lunch in Bahrain with Dr. Helmut Marko.

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Verstappen speaks to Dutch media

The former world champion team is unfortunately even further off the leading pace in F1 this season and the team currently stands fourth a. Point ahead of Aston Martin in the constructors’ championship. Hopes of a Mercedes revival now rest almost entirely on the new F1 engine regulations coming down the road for 2026.

So whether Verstappen has really any option but to remain at Red Bull is the reality of the situation. In an alternative universe where Ferrari decide to renege on Lewis Hamilton’s newly signed contract and instead take Max, the possibility of a move would truly be on the cards given Ferrari have closed the gap this year top Red Bull and already have a race win and two other podiums under their belts just three races into the season.

So it could be Max conversations with the Dutch media this week are an attempt by the world champion to dampen down the wildfire rumours and bring back together the once close knit community he had around himself in the Red Bull team. The problem is Max father has called for Christian Horner to leave the team and since has not been seen in the Red Bull trackside hospitality or garage.

This is a state of affairs which surely cannot continue given Jos is part of Max’s stated inner circle which includes Dr. Helmut Marko. In Jedda,h Max was adamant this trio must remain together for him to be at his best or he would consider pastures new. Yet unless the rift between Jos and Horner is healed, there will be uncertainty over where Max will drive in F1 going forwards.

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Red Bull staff “afraid” Max will leave?

Speaking to Dutch publication AD, Verstappen attempts to impress upon the readers he is now committed to remaining indefinitely at Red Bull Racing, though his comments suggest all has not been resolved behind the scenes.

When asked if Red Bull senior management are afraid he will leave the team soon, Max gave a qualified reply: “At the moment nobody is afraid of that, I think.”

However, the F1 world champion creates the impression that despite Christian Horner telling him “no one is bigger than the team” in fact that does not apply to Max.

Verstappen muses that, “two weeks back, though? Mwah, that may be,” almost in defiance of the Horner statement that he was free to leave Red Bull whenever he wished.

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F1 contracts mean little

“It’s like anything in life, you can’t force somebody to be somewhere just because of a piece of paper [Max contract],” said Horner. “If somebody didn’t want to be at this team, then we’re not going to force somebody against their will to be here.”

This somewhat surprising ‘put up or shut up’ ultimatum to Max from Horner appeared to have done its job as the Dutch ace racer then stated it was for now his “intention” to see out the next four years of his contract at the Melbourne Grand Prix.

Verstappen continues in his RD interview stating: “Some people also read a lot [into situations], I don’t. And I think in general that does help.

“That’s what I do try to tell people, yes, that they better not read it all for a while, certain things. And if there are any questions, anyone in the team can always call me.”

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Verstappen fails to speak categorically

Once again Max’s responses are not categoric or adamant as they would have been during his record smashing season of 2023. Rumours persist that Adrian Newey has been offered a mind blowing amount of money to join Aston Martin and because of this Max is considering a move to the Silverstone based team.

Yet Newey is working presently on a Red Bull supercar project and is unlikely to bail out of this before its completed. Verstappen had more bad news this week as his chief mechanic trackside announced he is leaving for a team “at the other end of the pit lane.”

Verstappen was philosophic and now appeared to blend his own previous narrative with that of Christian Horner’s ultimatum saying: “Of course, it’s always about being able to keep the right people for as long as possible.

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Max uses Horner’s rhetoric

“That’s a constant battle because of course other teams want to pull that, which is normal. That happens with the other top teams as well.”

Asked if he personally plays a role in trying to convince Red Bull employees to stay with the team, he replied: “That should come very naturally. Ultimately, you shouldn’t try to retain someone if they don’t want to be there. That has to be a natural relationship.”

The Dutch media interview in the end will do little to quash the rumours surrounding Verstappen and his future. It is just more of the same half hearted commitments from Max when he needed to be categoric. Only when Horner and Jos Verstappen are pictured together will the possibility fade that Marko and the Verstappen’s are leaving for greener grass elsewhere.

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Ferrari secret weapon appears

Ferrari boss reveals 2024 secret improvement. Ferrari have come out of the blocks for the 2024 Formula One season as the clearest challenger to the mighty Red Bull Racing dynasty. Despite the world champions claiming 1-2 finishes in the first two races, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was there in Bahrain to pick up the third place podium honours.

Then with Sainz absent in Jeddah due to appendicitis the team it was team mate Charles Leclerc who claimed the final step on the podium while rookie debutant Oli Baerman came home a respectable seventh ahead of both Hamilton and Lando Norris…, READ MORE: