Martin Brundle on Max Verstappen: “I could well imagine that …”

Fans and experts are hotly debating the question: what will become of Max Verstappen? Will he see out his contract with Red Bull Racing? Is he losing his enthusiasm for Grand Prix racing? Might he join another team in search of a fresh challenge?

Martin Brundle, who has also given this some thought – a 158-time Grand Prix starter, 1988 World Sportscar Champion and 1990 Le Mans winner – has been observing Verstappen’s behaviour over the past few weeks and has come to the following conclusions.

The Sky Grand Prix expert says: “I could well imagine that Max will leave his team sooner or later – whether that’s in 2027 or 2028 – and that he’ll start a new chapter. Drivers do that. We saw the same thing with long-serving Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton when he moved to Ferrari. He simply needed a change of scenery.”

“Verstappen has trusted his team so far, even during the tricky transition to their own power unit. Placing his trust in Red Bull Racing has mostly proved to be the right decision.”

“His problem now is that, ultimately, there can only be three teams he could switch to – Ferrari, McLaren or Mercedes. And all these teams have tied their two drivers to them on long-term contracts, at least until the end of 2027, and in most cases for longer.”

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