Max Verstappen has “said” to Red Bull, and many times, what he intends to do in his F1 future amid fresh claims from Ralf Schumacher that he could jump ship to Mercedes.

Verstappen’s future has been one of the big topics in the last two seasons, as Red Bull’s troubles have led to speculation he could walk away before his contract expires in 2028.

Max Verstappen: Well, I’ve said it to the team…

Verstappen could trigger an exit from Red Bull if he is lower than third in the Drivers’ Championship after a significant part of the season. Today, after round seven and almost a third of the way into the F1 2025 season, he’s P3 and 22 points down on championship leader Oscar Piastri.

Last season, Verstappen was heavily linked to Mercedes as team principal Toto Wolff openly courted the Dutch driver before signing Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement, while this year it has been claimed Aston Martin have put together a $1 billion deal to entice him over to Silverstone.

Wolff has since poured cold water over signing Verstappen as he won’t “flirt outside” of his relationship with his current Mercedes drivers, and Aston Martin “categorically denied” the Verstappen rumours to PlanetF1.com.

But that doesn’t mean Verstappen won’t explore his options, especially in light of F1 2026’s complete overhaul of the regulations with new cars and engines on the grid.

2026 marks the first year that Red Bull will be powered by their very own Red Bull Powertrains engine. But while there are rumours about the project and Red Bull’s engine producing capabilities, these were denied by Ford, Red Bull’s engine partner, who insisted they are “in good shape”.

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Asked if he could see Verstappen moving on, he told Sky Deutschland’s Backstage Boxengasse podcast: “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 were 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.”

But while the Schumacher and the paddock wait to see what Verstappen does next, Red Bull already know.

Speaking in an interview with the Telegraph, the four-time World Champion insisted he had already made his position very clear.

“I mean, I’ve said it many times,” he said.

At least, he’s said it to Red Bull.

“Well, I’ve said it to the team,” he added. “I think that’s the most important thing.”

He’s also not at all fazed that his refusal to give an emphatic yah or nay to the media is keeping the rumour mill turning.

“Yeah, but I mean, we also don’t know if I will wake up tomorrow, you know what I mean? You just never know. This is the thing,” he said.

Being asked about his F1 future is not a new lining up of questioning for Verstappen, who seems to be asked about it almost on a weekly basis.

His most recent interview on it was with De Telegraaf in which he said while he has no intention of leaving Red Bull at the moment, who knows what the future may hold.

“I always think and have thought about my future,” he told the Dutch publication. “Even in the good years. On the other hand, I think I am quite calm about it at the moment.

“I want to see how the rest of the season, or at least part of it, goes. Big, decent steps can be taken by the team. The upcoming races are very important, also for my future.

“I’m not even talking about next year, but in general. I think everyone in the team realises that.

“You know what the problem is: if you really had a choice and looked purely at performance, you could change teams almost every season. But of course that’s not possible.

“I’ve always said that to the team. That’s the intention [to stay]. Unless things go really strangely. But that [a departure] is not my intention at the moment.”

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