Love between Verstappen and Red Bull has cooled: Is it better to break up?
Thinking about Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing over the past few days in Budapest and a song by Dutch music duo Acda & De Munnik springs to mind. "I actually never really know where I stand. She lifts me up and slams me down rock hard," are the opening lines in the song about a lingering love, but the painful conclusion is still to part ways. The song could easily have been about the successful driver and his team.
Immediately after winning his first world title in 2021, Max Verstappen demonstrated his delight over the team radio and proclaimed his desire to stay with Red Bull throughout his F1 career. Despite a quick contract extension, several years on, it seems increasingly unlikely that the Dutchman will race for the Austrian racing team until the end of his career. Even serving out his contract that runs until the end of 2028 is becoming increasingly uncertain.
In what seemed like the perfect marriage for years, cracks have been appearing more and more in recent months - with Verstappen's emotional outbursts at the Hungaroring being the strongest evidence of this. Verstappen is annoyed at his team's sporting developments (or lack thereof), what he sees as the lax way his advice is handled and how the team management (Christian Horner) downplays the problems in the media.
Is the marriage between Verstappen and Red Bull still salvageable?
In every marriage, there are tensions, and there are sometimes arguments. That's what keeps a relationship healthy. But the way Verstappen and Red Bull Racing have been opposing each other for months - this is already a long-term issue - begs the question: is this marriage still salvageable? To ask the question is actually to answer it. In the paddock - where everyone talks to everyone - the general consensus is that Verstappen and Red Bull Racing will break up at some point. If not after the current season already, then certainly after 2025.
Is that crazy? Of course not. When you have worked together over a long period of time with each other as intensely as Verstappen and Red Bull have done, it is perfectly normal to see it blow up. Even the seemingly happiest couples can decide to file for divorce. Everyone knows from everyday life. With Red Bull and Verstappen, it seems to be heading in that direction. The spark has slowly diminished.
New sweetheart at Mercedes yearns for Verstappen
In that case, Verstappen need not be without a sweetheart for long. In the paddock sits a very much-in-love new partner yearning for his declaration of love barely a door away. A team boss running a Mercedes team that has started an upward trajectory, with a team that has almost approached Red Bull Racing in terms of performance. And a team that, in terms of organisation and atmosphere, is nothing like Red Bull Racing at the moment.
Anyone who walks into Mercedes' hospitality and is used to Red Bull immediately notices the calmness within the German manufacturer's organisation. No visible and audible bickering among themselves. Everyone who steps through this door feels welcome. Moreover - and this is the most important thing for an ambitious F1 driver - Mercedes is a team that has proven to be the absolute best and now also knows how to return to success from a visibly hopeless situation. In short, it is an environment where Max Verstappen will undoubtedly feel at home.
What if he moves to mercedes and they are not a winning team for 2026 ?
Anyone who thinks Max would behave any different in similar situations in a different team needs to wake up.
No...Because I want to see the full show made by Max against the team who bring him 4 titles .Including this year s title...And the excuses of his fans...
Until a few months ago, it seemed like a fantasy, but now more and more like the only reality.
But every team doesn't create a stable team to keep the best driver ?
JD why should Horner be removed or leave his behaviour is not abhorrent and if he hasn't done anything wrong?
Based on your stance everyone else is wrong and Horner is the successful TP .
I still don't agree with any of that and I don't see 'abhorrent' behaviour at all to be honest!
What I do think however, is that Horner caused a lot of unrest in the team with the affair/investigation etc. He wants to stay in position no matter what. It may be why Newey left, it caused a rift with Marko/Jos, and it may push Max out the door as well...
JD, you've changed you tune. When I called Horner out many times for is abhorrent behavior you had his back ....whats changed ?
Not every team has a power addicted Horner, who prefers to keep his position above anything else in Red Bull! ?
Even more so, I would say Max "needs" a stable team in order to function at 100%. More than other drivers.
Seems like the most plausibele outcome by now! I have long been on the fence about this, but I'm convinced for a few weeks now that this would be the best move for Max!
I am still on the fence. I lean towards a Mercedes move but I am not convinced that their 2026 engine minus Andy Cowell will be the dominant beast it was from the start of the turbo hybrid era. RB powertrains took a lot of top engineers away from Mercedes. Will RB/Ford powertrains be any good ?....I do not know.
The discord smouldering below the surface at RB is starting to become a fire. Max has done a good job of dealing with his father and Christian and everything else until this last weekend, now we are just beginning to see the effect of Newey leaving and having little to no input on the current car.
Hopefully a good result at Spa combined with the summer break will help turn things around if it does not and things stay the same or get worse this fall then Max will need to move on, assuming there is still an available seat at Mercedes.
"assuming there is still an available seat at Mercedes"
I think Toto may be rethinking happy team vs an unhappy team. Its not like Russell & Ant are not a strong driver pairing. As it stands Max seems to need a really strong car to give you results, I could be wrong , but why wouldn't Russell or Ant give you wins and challenge for the WDC in a strong car ,without the drama ?
What drama?
Max has been compared to a robot for his consistency and ability to be "on it" from lap one.
Outside of RB nobody knows what Max is capable of more than Toto. Max has been a thorn in Mercedes side for years and besides Toto was ahead of the curve and completely correct when he stated
"Red Bull is not winning races Max Verstappen is"
Max just wants a calm drama free race/performance oriented environment to race in. Max is a racer he is not a political activist he is not a fashion icon, in fact he shows up to the track in a team shirt , hat and jeans ready to do his job. That job is to get the best possible performance and win for his team.
Yes he is very demanding both for himself and his team, so I ask again what drama ? Being blunt to the point of rudeness is not a bad thing in a world that demands performance and results.
You are completely correct.
To your point, the odds makers have Lando as the favourite to win this weekend in Spa.
It has been years sense Max was not the favourite to win.
The Constructors title is pretty much gone for RB
The WDC is starting to look very shaky but I would still bet on Max, not RB but Max
To be honest, if the Red Bull stays this much behind McLaren, and Lando needs to make up exactly 7 points per race for the WDC (76 gap, 11 races), then I 100% expect a similar situation like the last 4 races in 2021 again! Max will fight, claw, push limits everywhere he can to prevent letting go of this lead and to let Lando win this WDC, of which Max is 100% convinced...is his!
Agreed.
Hopefully Max will channel his anger and use it to his advantage like he did after Silverstone 2021 , if he does not he might make some anger/frustration/pressure mistakes in future races. Max and RB as a whole really need the upcoming summer break.
Well, the drama comes when things don't go 100% perfectly.... As a viewer I don't care if he (or anyone else) curses or shouts on the radio, it may even be entertaining. But if I was working with him on a daily basis I would definitely prefer just a straight honest (even blunt, sure) answer (which he does) without the shouting.
I don't think Max needs a really strong car to show what he can do, just a balanced one. Whatever direction RBR have gone with this new concept it seems to be affecting the handling and taking away front end sharpness. I heard Max in the race saying he adjusted his balance by a large amount and still couldn't turn in. He just seemed to get more and more mad with and understeering car until he lost it and nearly took Lewis out.
"I think Toto may be rethinking happy team vs an unhappy team. Its not like Russell & Ant are not a strong driver pairing."
Hahaha, does Toto sound like someone that is thinking anything close to that!? He will kick Ant & George to the curb before you can count to 3, if Max wants to come to Mercedes! Be serious now...
Btw, Antonelli has proven literally nothing...he may not even be better than a Mick Schumacher for all we know. He should not even be allowed to tie Max' shoe laces (or Russel's for that matter).
"Max seems to need a really strong car to give you results, I could be wrong..."
Wow, I expected so much more from you! Wtf is this crap? Max is the best driver on the grid...and it's not close... So now that McLaren has clearly overtaken Red Bull (by a lot), Max still managed to win races and extent his WDC lead, up until this last race, when he still tried to compete for pole, in a car that may be in a tie with the Mercedes and Ferrari for 4th car on the grid... And now your giving us this crap? Like Max can only win in the fastest car? Come on, you're better than that! Max won 10+ races already before the Red Bull was even half decent and could challenge Mercedes. Thats more than Bottas and Perez managed to ever win while they were for years in the most dominant car of the field! Max got consistent results in the Roro Rosso in his rookie year, getting two 4th places in a car that had absolutely no business being close to those positions... Dont give me crap that Max will only give you results in a really strong car... Yes, he needs a good car to compete for a championship...like ever WDC needed...ever!
Sjeez, such comments really make me angry...sorry!
A d if it's truly a question for you if Russel and Kimi Antonelli give you the same chance of a WDC in a strong Mercedes car...then you really have not been paying attention the last 8 years...I'm sorry!
JD, between you and me, I am the Mercedes fan and have closely followed the team for many years. They have a unique identity, and I have always doubted Toto bringing Max to Mercedes.
Yes, you may say that you're convinced Toto is after Max. I think all Toto is doing is stirring the pot. Mercedes is a stable team, and unfortunately, Max is unstable. He treats his team poorly when things are not at 100% and doesn't do it behind closed doors but live to the world. The Mercedes brand doesn't and won't accept that in any driver. Even at the height of Lewis vs. Rosberg, we never had outbursts and disrespect of the team.
So yes, I am firmly convinced Mercedes and Toto are not and won't be looking at Max.
We have seen that Russell can get wins and podiums in an "inferior car." ANT is a talent; Max skipped F2, so we never got to see him battle there, and ANT skipped F3, so we didn't see how he would have done. Two wins in F2 and wiping the floor with Berman, who is in F1 next season. Remember, he is a rookie to F2. So your hope he flops is understandable. Toto has Russell, a race winner, and ANT, a generational talent matching Max.
"He should not even be allowed to tie Max's shoelaces (or Russell's for that matter)."
Well JD, why do you hate the guy? He is a talent like Max was. Give the guy some credit, or the same pundits that rated Max so highly are wrong now when they rate ANT as highly, or are you simply going into bias mode?
JD, your words "inferior car," you said that Max is not up to par because of the car? Have you changed your position?
All I am saying is Max has a competitive car; he could have easily gotten a podium, but he didn't. The frustration he showed was directed at his car and strategy. Analysis shows the strategy was correct, but Max was unable to execute the race strategy. In 2022, Max started 10th on the grid at Hungary, not in an inferior car, in the strongest car on the grid, and he took the win. In 2023, in the strongest car, he won by 33 seconds. In 2024, in a competitive/inferior car, he doesn't make a podium. Three races now without a win, the worst results for Max in two seasons. Why?
Max is a talented driver; I agree with you on that. My point is Mercedes has Russell and ANT, who in competitive machinery will win them races and championships. Does Mercedes want the Verstappen drama? Toto understands his team and knows how bad an unsettled team can drop points, staff, and performance.
Yes, at the moment, as this season is unfolding, the pressure is on drivers in McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull. By just looking at the results, we can see which drivers are dealing with those challenges better than others. Let's have this conversation after Spa, JD.
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