‘Will he or won’t he?’ It’s the question on most people’s lips in the Formula 1 paddock. The future of Max Verstappen is one of the most written about F1 topics, and despite being contracted by Red Bull until 2028, team boss Laurent Mekies recently admitted there is an exit clause the quadruple world champion can activate.
Given Max is a lowly sixth in the drivers’ championship and some 110 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli, it’s reasonable to expect the criteria which would allow him to leave have been met come the summer break. This is the time of year drivers begin to finalise their futures for the following season, and Verstappen is certainly thinking about his.
Ferrari and Mercedes Doors Slammed Shut
The question is: where would Max go, were he to leave Red Bull Racing?
Certainly not to Ferrari, who have just re-signed Charles Leclerc on a lengthy contract. Lewis Hamilton too leads us to believe he is in charge of his destiny at Maranello and will drive for the iconic Red Team for at least another season.
This time last year, Toto Wolff was touting Mercedes as a destination for Max, such that his drivers were forced to wait until late in the autumn to know their future destinies. Now the Mercedes team boss claims he is perfectly happy with his current line-up, but should Verstappen come knocking, there’s no telling whether George Russell would be ousted in a moment.
McLaren Swap Rumours & Zak Brown’s Snub
The mood music recently was that Max was very unhappy with Red Bull, particularly after two high-speed crashes as his rear wing failed in Austria and Silverstone. The Dutch driver admitted he was “fed up with it all” after the second incident, leading to speculation he was about to announce his Red Bull departure.
These rumours were furthered by reports that the Verstappen camp had met with McLaren, with a proposed swap between them and Red Bull for Oscar Piastri and the Dutch driver. However, next time out in Belgium, McLaren CEO Zak Brown sought to quash the rumours:
“From a McLaren point of view, I couldn’t be happier with Lando and Oscar. We have long-term agreements with them, and I think it’s the greatest driver pairing on and off the track. So we have no intention of replacing any of our two superstars.”
When pressed during an FIA press conference on whether there were ongoing talks with Verstappen’s representatives, Brown was blunt: “No conversations, and no immediate route to a move.”
RB22 Upgrades Turn the Tide
So no room at the inn apparently for Max in any other of the leading teams, yet when push comes to shove, this position could well change. However, Red Bull have recently brought upgrades to the RB22 and now it looks more competitive. Firstly, the failing rear wing was replaced in Spa, with Verstappen going on to claim a front-row start.
Max went on to claim third at the circuit in the Ardennes forest, and next time out in Budapest he went one better with a second place. And these results were not the result of freak safety cars or significant mechanical failures of others, although Oscar Piastri did break down with gearbox issues at the Hungaroring.
Yet Verstappen in his Red Bull looked a worthy P2 in Budapest, and the paddock chatter over him leaving Red Bull seems to have changed tack. David Coulthard, who raced for Red Bull and remains an ambassador for the brand, was asked this week for his thoughts on the matter.
He often travels to and from races with Verstappen and should be party to privy information. On the ‘Up to Speed’ podcast, Coulthard was asked what he knew:
“I don’t ask, quite frankly, because in that context, it wouldn’t be my business,” he replied.
He went on to suggest there was now “enough performance” coming from the RB22 and the Red Bull team appears to be making strides towards its competition. “I think that there’s a willingness there to want to sort out the issues that they’ve been experiencing,” added the Scot.
Moulding Red Bull in His Own Image
Since arriving at Red Bull Racing in 2016 from the sister team, Verstappen has made himself part of the furniture. And with Newey, Horner, and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley all gone, Max has cemented himself firmly as one of the team’s leaders in terms of calling the direction of travel.
As Lewis Hamilton discovered, this was almost impossible for him to do at Ferrari, although he has received some concessions this year from the engineers to his demands. The future of Mercedes is surely to be Kimi Antonelli, and McLaren are the constructors’ champions with Lando Norris as the reigning driver champion.
Verstappen can mould Red Bull in a fashion he would not be able to do elsewhere, and Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz now claims he has seen a mood swing in the quadruple world champion, who now appears to be “happy.”
Speaking on the Sky F1 podcast, the veteran pit lane reporter stated:
“Well, they’ve done half of the job just to get him back on the podium, and Red Bull have said, ‘look, it’s very simple, you keep Max Verstappen happy, he’ll stay with the team he thinks can win races.'”
With Verstappen believing his Red Bull team are not far from winning races again, Kravitz argues this may be enough to make up his mind:
“He might look at McLaren and say ‘well, they’re no closer’ if I’m going to join McLaren. They’re no closer to challenging Mercedes than Red Bull. So half the job was getting Verstappen back on the podium; the other half was the upgrade package Red Bull got on the car recently is working, and they’re a certain amount of the way there.”
Contingency Plans & The Final Verdict
Verstappen is the master of creating leverage and all the talk of him leaving Red Bull has done exactly that. However, there is talk that Red Bull have a contingency plan should their star driver leave, and it is Haas F1 driver Oliver Bearman who is apparently in the frame.
However, having failed for years to find a team-mate competitive with Verstappen, in Isack Hadjar they appear to have found their man. Further, with Arvid Lindblad making such a positive impact in his rookie season, it would surely be these two who would lead the Red Bull charge should Verstappen go.
But for now, Max appears “happy” according to Kravitz, and with the team at his fingertips, a car much improved, and consecutive podium finishes — why would he go?
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A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
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2 Things to consider:
Had ever any RedBull Champion succeeded after leaving Red Bull? (Vettel?)
RedBull with Ford created an outstanding engine in their first year, ther’s definitely more to come!
Time will tell