Max Verstappen has produced a superhuman effort at Red Bull to stay in this season’s title race. His podium at the Canadian Grand Prix last weekend took six points out of Oscar Piastri’s advantage.
The gap is still 43 points, but that’s small enough that Verstappen won’t give up. If McLaren have too many Montreal-esque weekends, or Red Bull deliver a potent upgrade, it’s the kind of lead that can certainly be overturned between now and December.
Red Bull have been overreliant on Verstappen for years now but this year, it’s reached an extreme level. The Dutchman has scored 155 of the team’s 162 points – a staggering 95.7%.
Take away Verstappen’s contribution, and Red Bull would be bottom of the constructors’ championship, four points below Alpine. Even last season, when Sergio Perez spiralled, Verstappen ‘only’ contributed 74.2% of the points.
While Red Bull build their car around Verstappen, the desperate struggles of his teammates highlight the profound limitations of the RB21. The Dutchman has still been able to win two races and score five podiums, but he may privately feel he’s succeeding in spite of the car.
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His contract runs until the end of 2028, but Verstappen’s contract includes a get-out clause. It’s believed to kick in if he falls outside the top three in the world championship.
George Russell’s victory in Canada has pulled him to within 19 points of making that happen. What’s more, Christian Horner has indicated that he wouldn’t stand in Verstappen’s way if he asked to go.
But Dutch journalist Erik van Haren, speaking on De Telegraaf’s F1 podcast, firmly ruled out a move to Aston Martin for 2026. Lawrence Stroll has reportedly offered Verstappen a £1bn contract over multiple years, but that won’t be enough to tempt him.
Elsewhere, Mercedes are set to renew George Russell’s contract and there’s little indication that Kimi Antonelli will lose his seat. Thus the signs point to Verstappen staying put at Red Bull.
“I don’t know how much for sure in life, but I dare to put my hand in the sand – that is not going to happen,” Van Haren said. “Whether he’ll leave, I wouldn’t rule that out completely. But Aston Martin, definitely not next year.
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Verstappen knows that moving now would be an unnecessary risk. It’s feasible that Red Bull slip out of contention next year – they’ve admitted that their first in-house engine may lag behind – but it’s unclear which teams will be truly competitive.
Thus, it would make sense to assess the pecking order under the drastically different regulations and then decide whether to see out his contract or seek an immediate move.
There has been talk that Verstappen could take a sabbatical, allowing him to pursue other racing interests and spend time with his newborn daughter. He once again tested a GT3 car at Spa this week.
In an achievement that went under the radar, Verstappen has now scored more podiums for Red Bull than Michael Schumacher did for Ferrari. He’s formed a bond with the team, and may not want to leave them in the driver market lurch.
