Split between Verstappen and Red Bull looks increasingly inevitable

It was after the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, in jubilant mood and celebrating his first world title, that Verstappen proclaimed he wanted to stay with Red Bull for his entire career. That wasn’t so strange, because Red Bull and Verstappen were a match made in heaven. But that love now seems to be fading.

Of course, when a disappointed athlete appears before the media after a poor result, he might make emotional statements that later seem unwise. Yet in Verstappen’s case, it’s different. Seasoned as he is, the Dutchman knows exactly what he’s saying and what effect it will have. So when Max Verstappen was highly critical of Red Bull Racing after qualifying in Canada, he fully understood the headlines it would generate.

This isn’t the first time Verstappen has openly vented his frustrations about Red Bull and how things are run within the team. For about two years there’s been an unease, ever since the Austrian outfit embarked on the wrong development path at the start of 2024.

Since then, team and driver have regularly disagreed on direction. The fact that one trusted confidant after another is jumping ship will also worry Verstappen with an eye on a successful sporting future. Without Helmut Marko and Gianpiero Lambiase, his most loyal allies are gone or going.

Tellingly, in an interview with a Dutch newspaper last Saturday, Max Verstappen did say he would remain in Formula 1 in 2027 (which he has already walked back on), but he declined to say that this would be with Red Bull. At some point, his patience will run out completely and it will be time to look elsewhere.

For Red Bull Racing, that would be a dramatic step. The team that has fallen so far back is only relevant because Max Verstappen drives there. Without Formula 1’s poster boy, Red Bull would likely sink further into the sport’s grey midfield. All the more incomprehensible, then, that the Austrians apparently aren’t listening to Verstappen.

The coming weeks will determine whether the marriage between Red Bull and Verstappen can still be saved. Meanwhile, father Jos Verstappen is sitting on the terrace at Mercedes, greatly enjoying himself with team boss and CEO Toto Wolff. That, too, should be a powerful signal for Red Bull. The team surely must know this, so why isn’t anything being done about it?