Max Verstappen may be on the verge of securing his fourth consecutive title with Red Bull, but his future with the team has been in doubt for much of the 2024 season.
The shock news that Lewis Hamilton would be leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari sent the driver market into chaos, as the Silver Arrows searched for their replacement for the seven-time champion.
Toto Wolff ended up going for Italian sensation Kimi Antonelli to partner George Russell for 2025, with the 18-year-old being seen as a long-term project. But the Mercedes boss has made it no secret that he is an admirer of Verstappen.
While he leads the championship by 62 points over Lando Norris heading into the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the Dutchman and Red Bull have had a turbulent season, with the 27-year-old going on a 10-race winless run until he finally claimed victory in Sao Paulo.
Several key figures, including the likes of Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley, have confirmed their exits from Red Bull in 2024, prompting speculation that Verstappen could do the same given the drop in performance seen in the team this season.
Despite having a contract that runs until 2028, Verstappen could leave Red Bull before the 2026 technical regulations come into effect if the team’s performance is not up the standard compared to their rivals.
Nelson Piquet Jr claims Max Verstappen could join Ferrari or Mercedes ‘tomorrow’ if he wanted to leave Red Bull
Verstappen wants to continue his dominance in F1 when the new era of machine comes to the sport in 2026. The clauses within his contract suggest Verstappen could leave if he is outside the top three after the early stages of that season.
Red Bull’s rivals will certainly be keeping tabs on the situation, with Wolff still being a keen admirer. Mercedes previously held talks with the Verstappen party before eventually signing Antonelli for 2025.
Speaking on the Pelas Pistas podcast, Nelson Piquet Jr made the claim that Verstappen could join Mercedes, or even Ferrari, ‘tomorrow’ if he wished to.
The Brazilian has a close relationship with the Dutchman given that his sister Kelly Piquet is dating Verstappen and the two were seen training together in the winter break. Piquet Jr says that such a move to a rival team ‘is just possible.’
“Nothing affects him. He sits down, starts driving and only worries about that. He created that position himself. Not everyone can do that. He normally doesn’t have to worry about anything. He is in a situation where he can say: ‘I want to drive a Mercedes or Ferrari tomorrow ‘. And that is just possible.”
Will Max Verstappen leave Red Bull before his contract runs out?
Red Bull have slowly picked up their performance in recent races, but McLaren and Ferrari have proven they have the upper hand. With 2025 set to be a intense fight and with 2026 being fresh regulations, the topic of Verstappen’s future will certainly be on everyone’s mind if the Milton Keynes-based outfit fall further behind their rivals.
Verstappen may have parked talks with Mercedes given the threat Norris posed to his championship hopes. It is not currently clear whether these discussions will continue, but with Russell being out of contract in 2025, there could be a possible opening.
Ferrari seems less likely given the recent signing of Hamilton a multi-year deal. The Dutchman may have to wait until 2026 or even 2027 to join the Maranello squad if he was to leave Red Bull.
Verstappen has also been heavily linked to Aston Martin after Adrian Newey announced he would be moving to the Silverstone outfit in 2025. With the legendary engineer’s track record of building teams up, the Dutchman would surely not pass on the opportunity to drive a Newey car again.
Leave feedback about this