Credits: IMAGO / Andreas Beil
and IMAGO / NurPhoto
The internal turmoil at Red Bull has cooled off quite a bit after dominating the headlines for a month and a half. With that, the chances of Max Verstappen taking a premature exit from the team before his contract ends are also looking slim. However, former Haas boss Guenther Steiner feels that if the three-time champion wishes to move out of the Milton Keynes outfit, Mercedes is the most likely landing spot for him.
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In a YouTube video by Sky Sports F1, Steiner replied on which teams may be interested in hiring Verstappen. To this, the American-Italian cited that everyone will take an interest in the Dutchman. So, he cited that it more depends on “where he wants to go”.
Steiner then added, “It could be Mercedes which obviously they have got a free seat because Lewis is going to Ferrari. I mean Aston Martin as well, it’s a possibility. I think if Max goes somewhere I guess he’d go to Mercedes.”
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From the Mercedes perspective, Toto Wolff has been quite vocal on wanting to sign Verstappen, just in case the 26-year-old has a falling out with Red Bull. When asked about the likelihood of Verstappen moving to Mercedes, Wolff claimed that “anything is possible”.
The Austrian also cited that they could look to develop a great car under the new 2026 regulations to lure the Red Bull champion. However, Wolff knows that the #1 driver won’t leave his current team despite all the internal turmoil, as they are dominating from a performance standpoint.
Amid the twists and turns of the Christian Horner saga and the rumored suspension of Helmut Marko, Verstappen’s position at Red Bull came under the limelight. Verstappen claimed that Marko’s departure could create a problem for the Austrian team.
However, since then, Verstappen has claimed that he would only leave Red Bull once he “retires” to honor his long-term contract till the end of 2028. For now, the Dutch driver has doused all rumors of him leaving Red Bull for Mercedes or any other team.
Has the Red Bull drama settled to not lose Max Verstappen?
When Max Verstappen gave a stern ultimatum about considering his future amid the rumors of Helmut Marko’s possible suspension, things started to get very uncertain for Red Bull. They were not in a position to lose their star driver despite having an impeccable car that could help many other drivers win the championship.
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This stance from Verstappen demonstrated his loyalty toward Marko and his understanding of the 80-year-old’s role at Red Bull and in his career. Marko has been an integral part of the Dutchman’s rise to F1 and conquering the sport in the past decade.
The Austrian advisor gave him the chance at Red Bull and helped him rise through the ranks to be a future world champion after 2014. So, seeing Marko leave Red Bull will most likely be a deal breaker for Verstappen.
However, since all those reports and rumors have gone passive and cooled off, Red Bull seems to have gotten control over the situation. They would want to assure Verstappen that Marko and any key personnel such as Adrian Newey won’t leave, as doing so will most likely convince the Dutchman to stay put.
