Former F1 star Ralf Schumacher has slammed Red Bull and insisted that four-time world champion Max Verstappen ‘will leave’ the team to join one of their rivals
Max Verstappen will leave Red Bull and join one of their Formula One rivals, according to Ralf Schumacher.
The ex-F1 racer took aim at Red Bull following the decision to demote Liam Lawson back to the Racing Bulls team after just two races of the 2025 season.
Ralf, the younger brother of seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, insists that Verstappen will leave the team he has driven for since making his F1 debut back in 2015 at just 17.
Verstappen, now 27, has won the last four world championships, but there has been growing speculation over his future amid worrying on-track performances from the constructor and plenty of unsavoury noise from behind the scenes.
Speaking to Bild, Schumacher brutally said: “Red Bull is falling apart. Verstappen is keeping the business going with his performances. They’ve lost many top players, and things are simmering internally. The fact that Verstappen is still staying so cool is insane.”
The former Williams star added: “Verstappen will leave Red Bull. Aston Martin would tailor everything to him.
“He would probably get the same status as at Red Bull. I don’t see that happening at Mercedes, because Toto Wolff wants to promote [Kimi] Antonelli.”
Speculation linking Verstappen with a move to Aston Martin only intensified after Red Bull’s former chief technical officer Adrian Newey joined Aston Martin this year. The Dutchman and Newey enjoyed a successful partnership and Aston Martin have emerged as a team determined to win a world title in the coming years.
Aston Martin’s engine supplier deal with Honda in 2026 would also give Verstappen the opportunity to reunite with Honda after Red Bull announced they will transition to in-house engine development in a partnership with Ford.
Red Bull are yet to win a race this year, with the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri winning the opening races of the season in Australia and China, respectively.
Verstappen finished on the podium in Melbourne but slipped to fourth in Shanghai last time out. The brutal decision to replace Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda after just two races leaves Red Bull hoping to turn their fortunes around quickly.