Verstappen has already quietly bid farewell to Red Bull—what is his next step?

Not only is Max Verstappen using the F1-free period in April for a renewed adventure with his GT car on the Nordschleife, but it’s also a chance to think about his future.

The Dutchman has lost the joy in F1 now that those dreaded batteries have negatively changed racing in the premier class of motorsport. Although it is publicly denied, it surely plays a small part that his RB22 isn’t working at all, and even Alpine and Haas are outperforming the Red Bull team.

While outwardly it’s said that Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull through the end of 2028 and that they’re monitoring the situation, GPblog is receiving signals that his future with the Austrian outfit is becoming increasingly clear. Continuing at Red Bull Racing appears to be an option that clearly ranks below several other possibilities, this website understands.

Around Max Verstappen, the feeling is growing stronger that the four-time world champion will quit Formula 1 after the current season. If he does continue, Mercedes and Ferrari are the main options.

Perhaps McLaren will be in the mix as well, especially now that Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, will officially make the move there in 2028. Mercedes and Ferrari, however, seem to have the edge.

Max Verstappen will be just 29 when this F1 season ends. Right now, the Dutchman should be in his prime years, so options will undoubtedly come his way. Will that be Mercedes, which already has excellent drivers in George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli? Toto Wolff also knows they don’t have the same qualities as Verstappen.

And what about Charles Leclerc, whose contract expires after this year? Or Lewis Hamilton, who could just decide it’s time for other things in life. It’s highly possible that at least one seat will open up at Ferrari.

Mercedes and Ferrari are teams that have managed to translate the current regulations into a fast car—something Red Bull has failed to do. Can the Austrians turn the tide? That remains to be seen, but in the meantime, the competition isn’t standing still. It could take years for Red Bull to catch up with Mercedes, Ferrari, and the ever-stronger McLaren.

Max Verstappen knows all this as well, which explains why staying at Red Bull is currently not an attractive option for the former champion.