Red Bull have star driver Max Verstappen contracted until 2028 but the four-time Formula 1 champion has been heavily linked with rivals Mercedes and has an exit clause in that deal
Red Bull have made an “extremely good move” which is likely to help them keep hold of Max Verstappen for now. That is the view of former Formula 1 racer and German TV pundit Ralf Schumacher, amid strong speculation that the Dutchman could quit his team for Mercedes.
Verstappen is contracted until 2028 but it is widely known that, as is often the case with F1 driver deals, there are exit clauses included. And, amid Red Bull’s declining performance this season, it has been widely speculated that the Dutchman could quit in search of a car which gives him a better chance of competing for the title again.
And the rumour reached fever pitch in the last fortnight, after the announcement that Christian Horner had been axed as Red Bull team principal and chief executive. The focus quickly shifted onto Verstappen and whether he would follow his former boss out of the exit door.
But despite strong links to Mercedes, it seems increasingly likely that Verstappen will stick with Red Bull for 2026, under new boss Laurent Mekies. And putting the Frenchman in charge of the team was a shrewd decision, in the eyes of Schumacher.
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“I think Red Bull made an extremely good move,” the German former F1 racer said. “In this case, Oliver Mintzlaff [Red Bull chief of corporate projects] and Mark Mateschitz [Red Bull co-owner] by now putting Mekies in this position.
“That did something for the team. Within a short period of time, one hears that the mood is completely different, the approach is different, and one must not forget that Max Verstappen has never been in a different team in his career.
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“He has everything to thank Red Bull for. So, he’s not making it easy for himself, and maybe he doesn’t even really want to leave. I can imagine, if everything is fine here, why should he leave? I don’t think that’s quite what he wanted.
“It just led to the car not working as well as it should. There were internal problems with politics, and suddenly the mood wasn’t so good. So, from that point of view, I think it’s actually very, very open again. Such a development can happen quickly, and this feel-good factor for a driver is important. And this team is completely behind him.”
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Mercedes also seem to have cooled their interest in Verstappen for now, with team principal Toto Wolff hinting that he will stick with his current driver line-up for now. He said: “Discussions have been taking place over the last weeks and months, so they are all up to date.
“The direction of travel is definitely that we want to continue with George [Russell] and Kimi [Antonelli]. That is the absolute priority. You can’t look past someone like Max and the plans he has for the future. We did that, but I don’t think there will be any big surprises.”