Günther Steiner on Verstappen transfer rumours: “Where would he go?”

Max Verstappen has spent his entire Grand Prix career racing for Red Bull. He made his first 23 Grand Prix starts as a driver for the Toro Rosso team (which now competes under the name Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team), before being promoted to the Red Bull Racing team, a move he immediately rewarded with victory in his very first race for them – the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.

That triumph was followed by a further 70 Grand Prix victories and four Drivers’ World Championship titles; however, the Dutchman has had less success recently, having to settle for two podium finishes in the nine World Championship rounds so far: In Canada, he finished third on the podium, whilst he came second at Red Bull Racing’s home race in Spielberg.

Major successes have so far eluded him this season, and that is precisely why there is repeated speculation about a possible team switch for this exceptional talent. However, Günther Steiner doubts that Verstappen will make use of his exit clause, as he explains in ‘The Red Flags’ podcast. “Where would he go? If he were able to leave Red Bull, there are already teams he could move to. But they have neither the money to pay him nor the car he wants.”

The former Haas team principal is particularly sceptical about the rumours surrounding a possible move to Mercedes. And that’s not just because of team principal Toto Wolff’s clarification that he will continue to rely on his current driver line-up of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell in 2027 as well. “‘Why would Mercedes sign him?’ he asks.

“Mercedes already has the next superstar in Kimi and a very good driver in George. So why would they spend even more money to sign Max? Max would only join the team if George left. He costs a lot more than George and might unsettle Kimi,” says the South Tyrolean. “So why would Toto do that? In my opinion, he’s too clever to do something like that; besides, it would cost a lot more.”

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