Verstappen and Red Bull Racing are growing further apart

At the end of 2021, Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing looked like a dream marriage. After years of hard work, there was finally that hard-fought first world title for Verstappen. Over the team radio, Verstappen shouted that he wanted to drive for Red Bull for his entire life. At the start of 2022, Verstappen kept his word by signing a new deal through 2028. A long-term deal, although it turned out to have plenty of strings attached.

Everything seemed rosy between Red Bull and Verstappen when they won everything there was to win in 2022 and 2023, but at the start of 2024, the whole thing fell apart. Initially due to the turmoil surrounding Christian Horner, who was also openly attacked by father Jos Verstappen. Max hoped the team would stay together, but the opposite proved true. Everything fell apart.

Major figureheads walked out the door and, to keep Verstappen on board, even Christian Horner was shown the door midway through 2025. Many point to the “good relationship” Verstappen and Horner supposedly have. Indeed, the two still speak regularly, but it’s an known secret that Team Verstappen played a major role in his dismissal, together with Oliver Mintzlaff and Helmut Marko.

That power move still hasn’t delivered what Verstappen wanted. In 2024, Red Bull became increasingly weaker, but Verstappen still narrowly won the world championship. In 2025, Verstappen just missed out on the title, as Red Bull was, especially at the start of the season, far behind McLaren. In 2026, Verstappen currently has no chance at all and sits seventh in the standings.

Beyond the performance, one key figure after another is leaving Red Bull Racing. After Horner, Gianpiero Lambiase also announced his departure, and Paul Monaghan is likewise on the verge of leaving Red Bull Racing.

There are also considerable doubts about Verstappen’s future. He did sign a multi-year deal, but there were clearly strings attached. Due to various clauses, Verstappen could already leave Red Bull Racing in 2024, 2025, and 2026. So it wasn’t really a long contract.

In 2026, Verstappen is allowed to leave if he is not in the top two by the summer. A clause in which Red Bull always loses. If Verstappen is in the top two, he won’t want to leave Red Bull anyway, because at most one team is just slightly stronger. If Red Bull is already a bit weaker, then Verstappen can leave. As a team you have no certainty at all.

In recent seasons, Verstappen explored his market options by holding talks with Toto Wolff. A move didn’t materialize because the Dutchman couldn’t trigger his clause in 2024 and 2025. In 2026 he can, but the door at Mercedes now seems closed.

Cracks between Red Bull and Verstappen are becoming increasingly visible on the surface. After qualifying in Canada, Verstappen was already remarkably harsh on his team. They wouldn’t listen to him. When they chose their own plan anyway and it went wrong, Verstappen said afterwards: “Then they’ll just have to feel it.”

In Great Britain, that discontent was already there before the Grand Prix. After qualifying, Verstappen indicated he wanted to start from the pits; Red Bull pursued its own plan. According to Laurent Mekies, it was fine that Verstappen had his own view on that, but rubbing your star the wrong way while plenty is already going wrong with the car itself hardly seems the best option given that clause.