Former F1 driver on Verstappen Red Bull future: 'Secretly saying goodbye'
Former Formula 1 driver Robert Doornbos suspects Max Verstappen is mentally preparing to leave Red Bull Racing amid the former constructors' champions' struggles.
The Milton Keynes-based team is under intense scrutiny after a tough 18 months in which it has fallen behind McLaren in the pecking order, ditched Sergio Perez for Liam Lawson - who already finds himself under pressure after just two lacklustre races with the squad - and lost a number of key personnel to rivals, including Adrian Newey to Aston Martin and Jonathan Wheatley to Sauber, which will become the Audi works' team next year.
Verstappen has repeatedly committed to Red Bull, with his current contract running to the end of the 2028 season, but given the internal turmoil at Red Bull ahead of the dawn of new regulations next year, his future has been questioned.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff publically announced his efforts to draw the four-time champion to Mercedes last season, though that never came to fruition. But Doornbos believes the Dutchman is now prepared to leave.
Verstappen "too relaxed" amid Red Bull struggles
After Verstappen came runner-up to Lewis Hamilton in the Chinese Grand Prix sprint before finishing fourth behind both McLarens and Mercedes' George Russell in the main event, Doornbos told Ziggo Sport's Race Café.
"I think Max Verstappen is a bit too relaxed under the whole situation.
"What Red Bull also feels is that if they have too many problems with the second driver, and then also crisis management within the organisation.... Because can Pierre Wache and his team really make that car better, and mount an attack on McLaren?"
"Can they offer Max what he wants? I think Max is secretly already saying goodbye to the team, in his head.
"That he thinks of these second driver problems as, 'Then it's Lawson again and then it's Yuki again; it will all be fine. I just want a car I can perform better with.'
"This weekend again. the maximum he could achieve was a podium in the sprint and a fourth place in the main race."
This article was written in collaboration with Kimberley Hoefnagel.
To those it concerns, in case you were not aware. iamlegend Racing Bull erikver (and all of his aliases) 44 FTW None of you can be civil even with a gun to your head, hence, you are all blocked. So if you want to reply to me, you can, just for posterity's sake, but expect no replies. Think how good you'll feel to get the last word in. :) "New" (read: alternate) accounts with less than 1000 likes who come to me for a fight, will also be ignored and blocked by default.
Why’s Verstappen so chill about the car? Honestly, it’s still super early in the season. Even with all his talent and experience, he probably doesn’t know yet if the car can be competitive or just meh. So yeah, he’s playing it safe. Wait a few races, see how it shakes out, then talk. And is he thinking about switching teams? Of course he is. He’s a professional and one of the best out there, some (among them many many TPs) say the actual best at the moment. If the car isn’t up to par, you better believe he’s looking around. Doesn’t mean he’s packing his bags just yet, but you’d be crazy to think he’s not keeping his options open.
But where does he go? Where is the opening on a team that will give him a car better than RB? McLaren? Nope, not unless we a huge shock dumping of one of their drivers. An didn't Max already say, with a smile athat Zak didn't want to know after he saw what he's have to pay Max. That doesn't sound like a Max that's persuing that team. Mercedes is not better than Red Bull right now imo. They JUST signed Antonelli and wanted him badly enough to only offer Lewis a 1 year deal. They also dote on Russell. So I don't see Merc as a possibility no matter how much speculation there is. Ferrari will see zero change until Lewis retires. So unless Aston start beating RB, where would Max do to get a better deal that he has right now? No-one knows where the cards will stack in 2026, even if the money is on Mercedes. There are no guarantees.
And? Looks like you're trying to push my comment into a whole other question. If I wanted to guess where he's going, I would’ve just said so.
I yeah I forgot, you don't answer posts that engage in discussion. My bad. Do you think it's better for me to just ignore you rather than waste my time engaging with you like this - y'know with actual discussion? I didn't troll, just wanting to get some answers and have a chat. But you either won't or can't. And I don't think my commented warranted your accusation. There was no ulterior motive behind my post at all. It seems you prefer to just post and not have anyone reply to you, unless maybe it's a one-liner. As you know my posts aren't, am I therefore wasting my time with you?
Morning Fox3, 'And is he thinking about switching teams? Of course he is' It's this sentence of yours that Legend responded to in all fairness, whilst you weren't guessing at what team Max may sign with you did actually suggest that he was looking, Legend just offered the non-options available to him, if I can throw my hat in the ring, Max has stated in the past he may retire at 28, AM may be the best option to reunite with AN but unless Adrian finds the 'pot of gold' with the new regs Max may be better off riding the storm with RB
Not sure why Max would want or need the fastest car, how many times have I read that a team would have won a race if Max had been driving !!
I dunno how many times we need to go over this. So many want to make stories out of this. Max himself said just this last weekend that nothing has changed for him. Doesn't mean he won't swap of course but if he had plans, no-one outside of Red Bull or even just Max would know that by now. If Max was thinking about it, I think only Kelly would know and that's it. The rest, right now, is speculation. What we DO know is that Max has stated on more than one occasion that he has a contract to 2028 that he intends to see out. Of course things can change. This idea that Mercedes will either dump Russell or the young driver they were so desperate to get and retain is optimistic at best. Ferrari and McLaren are happy as they are. The next opportunity for a driver at Ferrari is when Lewis retires. There will be no driver swap as Lewis will never drive for Red Bull Other teams might not be as accommodating as Red Bull have been for Max. They'll pay him his demanded salary and expect him to perform. Doornbos' words are just his speculative opinion. There is no way he can know what's going on in Max's mind, but if I had to guess, I would think that Max isn't the type to have a knee-jerk reaction and jump ship because of one year where a driver title might be in some doubt. There is also no guarantee whatsoever that Max will or needs to follow Newey around. Max doesn't need to follow the money either. Right now it's all media stories. His life priorities are about to change a little too next month. I have said already, however, that Max (so far) does seem different this year. The reason for which I can only speculate myself. His driving is more agreeable his interviews are too. He seems much more open and.... friendly, for want of a better word. For me this season, it's so far so good with Max. Win or lose I hope this keeps up. (Haters don't say what I just said or have been saying about Max this last weekend - some folks who have long claimed otherwise, despite my protestations to the contrary, would do well to remember that.)
Fooking hell, Legend. No way you made a comment like that LOL. I think I'm going to put this comment from you in a golden frame. Then I'll hang it on my hall of fame wall. Now that was totally unexpected...lol.
Nothing wrong at all. I love it. That is why I said what I said. Ok, I will cherrish (spelling) it.
Yes please do. Then next time someone tells me I hate Max, you can show them otherwise. :)
Ok so at least do me the honour of sticking a 'like' on it. Jeez! :) No like... no framing. That's the deal, hehe. * yeah it's 'cherish' in case you were wondering :)
"If Max was thinking about it, I think only Kelly would know and that's it. The rest, right now, is speculation." I think you can very safety add Jos Verstappen and Raymond Vermeulen to this list, most likely even before Kelly if its regarding racing. ? For the rest I agree with what you're saying, it is all speculation for now and its mainly people's thoughts and opinions. I think that most (if not all) doors will open when Max comes knocking, others don't think so. It's only fun to have different opinions. There is no truth here (yet). However, regarding Doornbos...he is still pretty close knit to the Red Bull family and the Verstappen family, so who knows what he thinks he picked up... "I have said already, however, that Max (so far) does seem different this year. The reason for which I can only speculate myself. His driving is more agreeable his interviews are too. He seems much more open and.... friendly, for want of a better word. For me this season, it's so far so good with Max. Win or lose I hope this keeps up. (Haters don't say what I just said or have been saying about Max this last weekend - some folks who have long claimed otherwise, despite my protestations to the contrary, would do well to remember that.)" This is pretty familiar to me... This is the Max that knows there is not more in it and the situation simply is not competitive. Max was also pretty relaxed in 2018-2020. Sure, there where moments, but the Max you...dislike... is the Max that is full force committed to a championship because he believes it is there for him to take! Take 2021 and the end of last year. There will not be compromises then, but right now he is not overly commited in wheel to wheel battles and just sees where the race takes him. You like that more, because it is more '13 in a dozen driver style', but to me his championship mentality is what makes him stand out. I do really understand you though. And maybe there is something brewing and he indeed has made up.his mind already..Doornbos is claiming for months already that an agreement in principle has already been agreed upon with Mercedes...
"I think you can very safety add Jos Verstappen and Raymond Vermeulen to this list" Well let's add those too. I think Kelly can still find out first if he decides something while talking with her and then tells his manager and father the day after. But this is neither here nor there. " I think that most (if not all) doors will open when Max comes knocking, others don't think so. " Well sure. As a fan, you want to believe that Max is the best and so much so that any team will ditch any driver to have him. I think the reality is very different. McLaren have had their conversation and they're sticking with their two drivers. Max would have to drop his salary requirement in order to be in any a remote chance. Ferrari have LeClerc and spend a huge amount on Hamilton. That's not changing until Hamilton retires. LeClerc won't be going anywhere. Mercedes will keep Russell and they spent enough time and made sacrifices to get Antonelli, so unless he seriously underperforms, they'll be keeping him too. Now, who is left as a team for Max to win with? Max has won 2 out of the last 16 races. That will be considered also, as it shows Max isn't as unbeatable as many like to make out. Once his car isn't the world beater car, he can lose and he can be off the podium. Sure he will perform well, but without that top car, it's not a certainty. There is just this notion that Max will outperform any team-mate and I'm for sure not convinced of that. If that was known to be true, then Red Bull would have had no qualms employing a top driver in the No.2 seat for the 10 years Max has been there. "Sure, there where moments, but the Max you...dislike... is the Max that is full force committed to a championship because he believes it is there for him to take!" Hehe, well that's not how I would phrase it at all. Being committed is one thing, but pulling off dirty moves that don't get punished is quite another. Forcing drivers off and crashing into them deliberately is not how normal drivers, who are committed to a championship, perform. So why wouldn't I dislike those moves. It would be normal for me to dislike moves like that from any driver. It's against the rules. "but right now he is not overly commited in wheel to wheel battles and just sees where the race takes him. " So you think he's given up? Doesn't sound like the Max that's been portrayed to us by the fans. By 'not overly committed in wheel to wheel battles', do you mean that he isn't pushing drivers off the track in order to get past and gain an illegal advantage? "You like that more, because it is more '13 in a dozen driver style', but to me his championship mentality is what makes him stand out." No idea what you mean by '13 in a dozen driver style'. I like it more because it's clean. For no other reason. At this stage of the season there is no reason at all for Max to not have what you call a championship mentality. He will have it. He will be trying to score as many points as possible in the case that Red Bull improve their car. He knows the importance of banking points and he will push just as much to do that. I think the hullabaloo about Max's illegal driving may have made him tone it down a little. Let's see. If you prefer me to be a more harsh on him instead of finding him agreeable, I can. I'd rather do that than have people tell me what they believe I'm thinking about why I find him agreeable. I know why I like or dont' like something and if you are now trying to come up with your own reasons for it, which are either not correct, or to put me down, then I might not bother any more. I mean if I now praise Max and people are going to say "yeah only because this" or "only because Max isn't winning", then I'm just not going to bother any more. Because I can't win. Seems light praise must have some ulterior motive to it now. "Doornbos is claiming for months already that an agreement in principle has already been agreed upon with Mercedes" Yeah so he says. Until you hear it from Mercedes, I wouldn't give it any more attention than any other rumour. 'In principle' doesn't mean much.
WARNING the following is pure speculation I think Max is following (loosely) the “Serenity Prayer” Essentially asking for serenity to accept what he can not change, in this case an underperforming car/team. Does this mean give up ? No ,do your best , give your all to the team to improve what he can , but accept that this might not be his year. Instead he can look forward to the birth of his child well enjoying his new jet. The future ? Mercedes looks good, an extra $20 to $30 million per , not so bad either. Or Does Red Bull / Ford have a good engine next year ? Stick around and find out ? Or swap seats with George ?
Sorry forgot to add Newey, Cowell, Honda and a big check from Stroll Sr. ?
I still kinda like this situation at AM... Sure, it may take a few years while the AM develops, but I thoroghly enjoyed Max' Toro rosso year and the years he came up.with Red Bull. Also, for his legacy it would be GOAT stuff if he could help transform AM.to a title winning car!
I agree with you. My only concern is Honda. Honda’s best talent got hired by Red Bull. It begs the question how good will their engine be in 2026 ? How much input does Andy Cowell have in the new engine ? Questions on top of questions. Only time will tell.
Well, Max' team will.sutely have insight into the Merc and Honda engines from their conversations with both Merc and AM abiut the future! They will be able to compare that not only between those two, but also with the RBPT/Ford project. Its a bit easier with engines than with aërodynamics -> how many HP's does it generate, how stable is it and what does the reliability data show?
Max would never leave RedBull before 2026 . He has said this is his family and he signed that 2028 contract . He would have known that RB wouldn't be competive every single year until 2028 came around. This talk is simple voice,Max has committed his future to RedBull.
I think so too. Unless he believes RB are going to absolutely tank in 2026 because of their RBPT/Ford programme (where no-one will know where they really stand until the season starts), then I don't see him moving any time soon. I have maintained that the only move Max makes away from RB is into retirement. I've seen nothing, so far, to convince me otherwise.
It would be fantastic to see Verstappen joining Mercedes and become teammate with George Russell. I am eager to watch their battles in Mercedes
No way Mercedes and Toto is ever going to let go of Kimi!
Mercedes right now have a really strong pairing . Kimi is only getting better and Russell is shinning so why would Toto bring in the chaos of Max.
I agree that Russel is doing really well, but he has zero world titles. I personally still rate Verstappen higher than Russel and I can see Mercedes going for a Verstappen - Antonelli line up if the opportunity arises.
That window of opportunity closed . If he did the jump maybe when Lewis left ....but now with him performing below Russell and Kimi is the future . I don't see it happening . Maybe if Russell or Kimi falls off completely then it's on the table.
Max moving to Mercedes will be a disaster. And the reason I think that is because I think Mercedes got the balance correct regarding the driver combination. Yes max will be a big advantage for Mercedes but it won't work out. Russell and max will clash. Antonelli is in my opinion going to be the star driver for Mercedes in the near future. I'll rather see max replacing Alonso. Maybe a move to Ferrari is also not out of the question in the future but a lot need to happen for that to became a reality. For now I think max will stay at Redbull untill the end of his contact at least.
When the going gets tough and Real challenge emerge is when they jump ship into the next fastest cars available. Right.
He clearly did not have the fastest car last year and won the championship. Red Bull appear to be on a downward trajectory, so of course hes going to look at options. Any team would make room for him too.
When the going gets tough, (which it hasn't for Max yet), the challenge is one that the driver takes on by sticking with the team that has supported him and given him everything he has and wanted, and be part of the solution to get them back on top. Not just jump ship.
"When the going gets tough, (which it hasn't for Max yet), the challenge is one that the driver takes on by sticking with the team that has supported him and given him everything he has and wanted, and be part of the solution to get them back on top. Not just jump ship." You really just didn't go there!! Jumping ship is the last word I expect from you considering what your guy did to a team that gave him 6 titles on a silver platter.
3 years he gave to Mercedes, waiting for them. Now we're talking Max jumping ship after 2 races. Quite the difference. Max's titles were also on a silver platter, especially the first sham one.
Same as lewis first title sweetheart. A shame he needed two different things to help him win it. Fist crash gate scandal and the FIA deliberately turning a blind eye and secondly a handout from his buddy. Final race last lap.
Some nuance is needed here I think. Lewis did not just jump ship. He left partially because the car wasn't getting any better but also in large because he felt like the team wasn't listening to his warnings. The same can now be said about Max because despite their tremendous 23 season even back then he publicly stated several times that there are definite weaknesses to the car that need to be addressed. He has also hinted on several occasions that the problem didn't really lie with Perez but with the car itself. And now with Lawson he is saying the same. So much like Lewis if Max leaves it will be less about the lack of performance but more about not being listened to.
But is Max's feedback being ignored by RB or are they just not up to the task any more without Newey? It's not like Max is mid-field. He's a threat to win still.
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