Ralf Schumacher has now heard something in the F1 paddock which suggests Max Verstappen could seek a Red Bull exit

Red Bull Racing know how important it is to keep Max Verstappen happy and in a competitive car for their long-term success.

The four-time world champion is only 22 points behind Oscar Piastri in the drivers’ championship despite Red Bull being significantly slower than McLaren for much of the campaign.

Red Bull brought some important updates to Imola that helped Max Verstappen earn his second victory of the season, but the team aren’t convinced yet that they’ve somehow leapfrogged McLaren in the overall pecking order.

Verstappen was happy with Red Bull’s upgrades after the race, although it took three practice sessions to nail their set-up.

On the other side of the garage, Yuki Tsunoda managed to finish in the points after starting from the pit lane following his terrifying crash in qualifying.

That could be seen as a success, but Red Bull would be ninth in the constructors’ standings if only the points scored by Tsunoda and Liam Lawson counted this season.

This puts huge pressure on Verstappen to perform, but also a massive strain on the team to keep him onside.

They know that if Red Bull’s competitiveness begins to drop off, then their only route to success might disappear.

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Ralf Schumacher hearing worrying rumours about Red Bull’s 2026 power unit

Former F1 driver and pundit Ralf Schumacher was speaking on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast about Verstappen’s F1 future.

Verstappen’s Red Bull contract runs until the end of 2028 and currently, he has very few reasons to want to leave.

However, Schumacher was asked whether he could see the Dutchman moving on and explained: “Yes, well, the door won’t be closed. First of all, Max Verstappen naturally wants to back the team to the end, that’s quite clear and we’ll have to wait and see.

“I mean, he’s achieved all his successes with Red Bull, he owes a lot to Red Bull and he’s the type of person who I think would stick with it to the end if it was possible.

“Nevertheless, he’ll have to wait and see. The next few races will really go on like this, because the development was stagnant and the car was difficult to drive at times.

“And a big problem, but it’s difficult to judge, but there are always rumours in the paddock about the 2026 regulations, that the Red Bull powertrain as such is not as strong as that of Mercedes in particular and could also be behind Honda.

“Of course, you have to take that into account when you look at the future as a racing driver.”

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Mercedes and Aston Martin keeping the door ajar for Max Verstappen

Verstappen has a get-out clause in his Red Bull contract in case things reach a point where he feels like he needs to move on ahead of the regulations changing in 2026.

There’s a strong chance that next year’s championship will be dominated by the team with the strongest engine, which is where Schumacher’s warning comes into play.

Mercedes have been linked with Verstappen and neither of their current drivers are signed up for next year yet.

It would be very harsh on George Russell or Andrea Kimi Antonelli if either of them lost their seats based on how well they’ve driven this year.

Whispers in the paddock suggest Mercedes have the best engine for next year which might tempt Verstappen, but he’s stuck by Red Bull through more difficult times ahead of winning his first championship.

Aston Martin are also keen on Verstappen and a reunion with Adrian Newey and Honda might be tempting.

But their form this season would make it a seriously risky move for the four-time world champion.