Ralf Schumacher identifies the Max Verstappen scenario that could see Red Bull’s star driver quit F1

Max Verstappen goes into the Miami Grand Prix weekend just 12 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has made it clear that Max Verstappen is doing a remarkable job to keep up with both McLaren drivers.

His victory at the Japanese Grand Prix showed that under the right circumstances, he can still win races despite Red Bull’s pace disadvantage.

However, in contrast, Verstappen wasn’t happy with Red Bull in Bahrain, as he struggled to pass Alpine driver Pierre Gasly and was well off the pace of his closest rivals.

The upcoming Miami Grand Prix is another Sprint weekend, which could hamper Red Bull, who have required every minute of each practice session so far this season to perfect their car set-up.

All of these factors begin to put a question mark on the Dutchman’s future, despite Verstappen having a contract with Red Bull until 2028.

Verstappen has been linked with rival F1 teams with concerns over whether Red Bull will be in a position to challenge during the new regulations, but former driver Ralf Schumacher has explained how he could see the 27-year-old walk away from the sport completely.

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Ralf Schumacher explains how he could see Max Verstappen walk away from Formula 1

It was put to Schumacher on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast that Verstappen could take a sabbatical or walk away from F1 in the near future ahead of becoming a father, and he was asked for his opinion on the matter.

He said, “Of course, it would be nicer to be at home at a time like that, but Max Verstappen is a professional and has entire time afterwards, he can fly home quickly, and they won’t be able to remember if dad was there.

“So that’s the beauty of it. But yes, we’ve heard a few critical things from him on the subject, he’s slowly losing interest, everything is being scrutinised, and it’s no longer the Formula 1 that he likes.

“And then there was an interview sometime before where he said, I want to spend time with my family and my father, who knows?

“He’s a very mature young man, one has to say, and in Formula 1, of course, everything happens in fast motion.

“Not only visually, as you can see, it makes you look old, but also in terms of your physical appearance, because you have to do so much, you become very mature.

“And that is why I can imagine that Max Verstappen will say at some point, I’ve had enough now.

“But there is still hope, there are [FIA] elections soon, [and] a few things might change back to normal, that would be nice too.”

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Max Verstappen has more options than any other driver in Formula 1 right now

Verstappen has been quiet about what his next steps might be going forward, despite the speculation surrounding him.

It seems unlikely that he would walk away from Red Bull at the end of the year before at least waiting to see which team has the fastest car for the new regulations.

However, the option is available to him should he wish to move on, with Verstappen able to activate a get-out clause in his contract if he’s not sitting in the top two of the drivers’ championship at the summer break.

Aston Martin are keen on Verstappen to turn their fortunes around and believe they’ll be well-placed to capitalise on the upcoming rule changes.

Ultimately, if he made himself available to any team on the grid they would have to consider signing him, even if they’re already happy with their current driver line-up.

He’s the most talented driver in Formula 1 right now, but Schumacher believes that the right conditions could see him walk away sooner rather than later.