Max Verstappen ‘will leave Red Bull at the end of the season’ as F1 stop warning made
Max Verstappen ‘will leave Red Bull at the end of the season’ as a six-time Grand Prix winner warns the Dutch superstar could walk away from Formula 1
Max Verstappen will quit Red Bull at the end of the season, claims a six-time Grand Prix winner(Image: Getty)
Max Verstappen will leave Red Bull at the end of the season, according to a six-time Grand Prix winner.
The Dutch superstar is Formula 1’s biggest name after winning four successive World Championships and almost completing an incredible comeback last year, only to miss out to Lando Norris by two points.
However, Verstappen has made clear his hatred of the new regulations and cars as Red Bull find themselves behind Mercedes and Ferrari at the top of the grid. Verstappen’s frustration regarding the 2026 car was voiced before the start of the season, but his mood will only have worsened.
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To add further doubt over Verstappen’s future, his close friend and race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will leave Red Bull at the end of his contract and take up a new role at McLaren.
Speaking to BettingLounge, six-time Grand Prix winner Riccardo Patrese believes that Lambiase’s impending exit as the latest in a long line of leading figures at Red Bull spells the end for Verstappen at the Milton-Keynes based team.
Patrese said: “If Lambiase is leaving, it means that Max is also leaving Red Bull next year. He is not feeling very happy. So, at the end of this season he will probably make his move.
“Max, first of all, has to enjoy driving these cars. But it is obvious he doesn’t like it at all. He’s a strong enough person that you believe him when he says, ‘If I don’t have enjoyment, I’ll leave a Formula 1.’”
Patrese added that Verstappen’s constant criticism of F1 and his newfound love of racing in different disciplines could see the 28-year-old walk away from the sport for good.
“He has already got satisfaction and achieved so much in the sport. He has proved that he’s the best, so on. If F1 changes and he has a good feeling again then he will go on.
“Otherwise, he may well change category. He really likes GT races. But at the end of it all, I think he is just talking. But he does need a winning car, that’s for sure. He is fed up, that is for sure.”
Verstappen is under contract at Red Bull until 2028 but there is widely-reported to be a performance-based get-out clause that would allow Verstappen to exit his contract early if Red Bull underperform.
After three Grand Prix and a Sprint race this season, Verstappen is 9th in the drivers’ standings with only 12 points. In contrast, Kimi Antonelli leads the Championship for Mercedes on 72 points.
