Damon Hill tells Max Verstappen ‘the wise thing to do’ next season if he decides to leave Red Bull

Max Verstappen would have been more aware than anyone else at the Miami Grand Prix just how much of a disadvantage Red Bull Racing are currently at compared to championship leaders McLaren.

However, the world got to witness Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris finish the Miami Grand Prix more than half a minute ahead of third place George Russell, with Max Verstappen several seconds further back.

It makes what the Dutchman achieved in qualifying the day before even more impressive.

Verstappen somehow managed to put his Red Bull on pole position, ahead of Norris and Andrea Kimi Antonelli who had his most impressive performance over one lap of his short Formula 1 career.

The four-time world champion clung onto the lead through the opening laps, and Verstappen even drew comparisons to Michael Schumacher from Martin Brundle as he defended from Piastri during the race.

He was powerless to stop both McLarens from overtaking him and lost out during the virtual safety car to Russell to deny him another podium finish.

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Damon Hill tells Max Verstappen he would be ‘wise’ to consider Formula 1 sabbatical

Verstappen could leave Red Bull due to a get-out clause in his contract at the end of the season if their performance doesn’t improve.

There are plenty of options available to the 27-year-old, but world champion Damon Hill told the Chequered Flag Podcast that leaving the paddock entirely for a season might not be such a bad idea.

Hill explained, “I mean, Red Bull are fighting to retain Max Verstappen.

“I mean, there is a clause in the contract. It’s been explained quite clearly that there’s a performance clause, and if they don’t match the performance clause, and let’s be honest, he’s never delivering less than 100%.

“If they don’t give him that, then he’s free to go wherever he wants. So, Red Bull are under pressure.

“Where can he go? I don’t know. George is on the verge of signing, they say, with Mercedes again, and then that’s that blocked out. I don’t know.”

It’s then put to Hill that Verstappen could potentially take a year out, and in response to that suggestion, he said, “I think he could. It might be a wise thing to do when you can see which way the wind’s going to blow after these new regulation changes.

“He’s young, he’s won four world championships, he’s won goodness how many races.

“Nobody knows what’s on the other side of the end of this season. What is going to happen?

“He could sit back next year and go, OK, I can see which way the future’s going to go for the next 10 years and whatever team is doing well will find the money to pay for having Max.”

Hill admitted that he can’t see Verstappen racing for an uncompetitive Red Bull next year and that he’ll know better than anyone how the team is shaping up for 2026.

When pushed further on Verstappen taking a year out, he gave the Dutchman a ‘30%’ chance of not being on the grid next year.

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What options are available to Max Verstappen if he decides to leave Red Bull

Team principal Christian Horner insists Verstappen is more committed than ever to Red Bull, but eventually, his patience will run out.

Verstappen’s current contract runs until the end of 2028, but whether he remains with the team for that long, especially if they’re not winning, remains to be seen.

Realistically, any team would consider hiring Verstappen if he approached them, no matter how set in stone their current line-ups are.

Even McLaren and Ferrari would have a hard time turning the four-time world champion away.

Mercedes have long held an interest in Verstappen after missing out on him before his move to Toro Rosso.

Another option Verstappen could consider is Aston Martin and a reunion with Adrian Newey and Honda.

Verstappen’s camp haven’t ruled out a sabbatical either, and the next few months could be pivotal in deciding the Dutchman’s next step.