David Coulthard on Max Verstappen’s future: “My gut feeling tells me …”

For months, Max Verstappen has been rumoured to be eyeing a move to another team. Such speculation is often fuelled by rivals looking to unsettle Red Bull Racing a little.

There are essentially four facts to consider: Max Verstappen is under contract with Red Bull Racing until the end of 2028. As is standard in the industry, his contract contains performance clauses. The Dutchman finds driving the 2026 generation of racing cars rather uninspiring. However, he himself has never specifically spoken of leaving.

David Coulthard ended his long career, spanning 246 World Championship races, at the end of 2008 after four years with Red Bull Racing; he has remained closely associated with the Red Bull organisation, and his opinion carries weight.

The 55-year-old Scot says on the Up to Speed podcast: “To be honest, I don’t even ask, because in this context it’s none of my business.”

“My gut feeling, however, tells me that there’s currently enough performance available and that Max has also been part of this journey from the very start. I don’t think there’ll be a shock announcement from Verstappen, like the one from Lewis Hamilton back then, when he left Mercedes to join Ferrari.”

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“I get the impression, rather, that RBR are determined to get the problems under control. And let’s be honest, Max has secured two podium finishes in the last two races; without the rear wing failure in England, it could easily have been four in a row.”

“Of course, a driver like Max Verstappen lives for victories, but even so, I don’t foresee any major news from Red Bull Racing or from Max during the summer break.”