There is so much talk going on with Max Verstappen due to his contract clause which allows him to leave amicably if he sits outside the top two in the Drivers Championship when the summer break happens between the 26th July and 21st August this year. This summer break is directly after the Hungarian Grand Prix and before the Dutch Grand Prix so this happens in two weeks time.
Verstappen is not happy with the Red Bull team as they have been struggling trying to find the necessary speed to be competitive. The biggest problem is the team is not listening to him and after complaining about the car at the British grand Prix Verstappen wanted to make changes which the team refused. The changes would have meant starting from the pits in last position and Verstappen thought it was still worthwhile. The team questioning the 4 time world champion makes no sense as we all know Verstappen knows what he is doing.
The Red Bull team is not the same team Verstappen knew when he was winning titles as Christian Horner the team principal left, Adrian Newey the brains and head designer left moving to Aston Martin and Helmut Marko Verstappen's ally left due to behind the scenes clashes with the team. Verstappen has no real reason to remain and if the team does not offer a competitive car he is free to leave.
The problem is where does he go as most of the teams have drivers on contract until the end of 2027. Verstappen is the kind of person who will leave his seat and sit a year out until the right seat comes available.
There are 3 teams that would be an obvious choice with 2 of them being Mercedes and McLaren standing ahead of Ferrari. The problem is all 3 teams have drivers contracted till the end of 2027. Mercedes tried to lure Verstappen prior to Antonelli signing two seasons ago and would now let Russell go for Verstappen. Ferrari is a no goer with LeClerc and Hamilton rebuilding the team. McLaren however is the current favorite with a direct swap for Piastri with his manager being Mark Webber and an ex Red Bull driver.
Lando Norris is the other McLaren driver who also happens to be good friends with Verstappen. Would their friendship last having Verstappen in the same team? I would say if Verstappen is racing next year then it will be with McLaren or he will be racing other events outside of Formula One with his own racing team which he does already.
This is all about what Verstappen wants and if it is driving for Mercedes he could sit out next season waiting for Russell's contract to expire. If Antonelli wins the Drivers Championship this year then Russell will be on the back foot. The Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff would love to have Verstappen in his garage helping develop and improve the car.
Having written all of this Verstappen could also stay put for one more year until he can negotiate and sign for anew team starting in 2028. My bet is he joins McLaren next season or holds off for Mercedes in 2028 thus remaining with Red Bull next season.
Posted Using INLEO
