– Will Max Verstappen also start for Red Bull in the 2027 Formula 1 season? Although the Dutchman still has a contract with the Bulls until the end of 2028, rumors appear every year that the four-time world champion could leave the team prematurely.
Read more Formula 1 Engine: Can McLaren Really Follow Red Bull’s Path?
But what options would Verstappen realistically have? “If Max moves elsewhere, then of course he wants to go to a team that is better than Red Bull. And there are not many teams that are better than Red Bull,” explains former Formula 1 team boss Günther Steiner in the podcast Up To Speed.
“Maybe Red Bull is not currently where they would like to be – namely at the top, as they were a few years ago – but they are still among the top four teams,” Steiner reminds. That means: Verstappen could at most switch to Mercedes, Ferrari, or McLaren.
But Steiner emphasizes: “At Ferrari, the seats are taken. At Mercedes, I believe they have now found the next Max Verstappen. So maybe they don’t even need the real Max Verstappen at the moment.” A reference to championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Photo series: Mid-season reports: The best Formula 1 drivers at the summer break
Verstappen has repeatedly been linked primarily with Mercedes in the past, but because a driver from their own junior program, Antonelli, is now leading the world championship there, the door for Verstappen might have closed there.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff made it clear to Sky a few weeks ago anyway: “We don’t want any changes. I am satisfied with our two drivers. This driver pairing is good for us.”
Read more Red Bull: Max Verstappen calls «top priority» for second half of the season
McLaren as the “only option” for Verstappen?
Steiner therefore concludes that McLaren is “the only option” for Verstappen if he wants to leave Red Bull for the 2027 season. “And I don’t know if that option even exists,” emphasizes the long-time Haas team boss.
McLaren boss Zak Brown also made it clear before the summer break that he is “very satisfied” with his current drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. That is why expert Timo Glock explained in the podcast Starting Grid that he also does not believe in a Verstappen move.
Verstappen before Red Bull exit? These teams are possible in 2027!
One must “wait and see” how the market develops, but according to the current situation, the former Formula 1 driver suspects “that [Verstappen] will continue to stay at Red Bull because the options are probably not as available as he would like.”
“There are always various small fires that are ignited, which keep the topic bubbling up again and again,” says Glock, who emphasizes: “I’ll be surprised, but my gut feeling says he stays at Red Bull.”
- DTMAfter the Grasser case: Engines from Preining, Engel, and Wittmann collected!
- Formula 1Red Bull: Max Verstappen calls “top priority” for the second half of the season
- Formula E“I don’t forget things”: What lies behind Pascal Wehrlein’s warning
- MotoGPMotoGP is becoming more global: Why Europe is likely to lose races in the future
At least with regard to the four top teams, this could lead to a complete standstill in the driver market, because Glock explains: “In the end, everything stands and falls with [Verstappen].” And there the chances of a move currently do not seem overly large.
Read more DS-Penske farewell in style: First Formula E win for Taylor Barnard!
