Three reasons why Verstappen would want to leave Red Bull Racing

You drive the best car in Formula 1 and have one hand on two world titles in 2024 and 2025. Yet Max Verstappen currently seems to be putting everything on the line: if Helmut Marko has to leave, he will leave too. Why would Verstappen be so keen to leave?

Loyal to Helmut Marko

Max Verstappen is very loyal to those around him. The Dutchman has always said that Marko is a father figure to him. Verstappen stands by those words now that it really comes down to it. Of course, it remains to be seen if Marko actually leaves, but Verstappen's comments are to be commended.

Verstappen has never hidden how important Marko has been to him. The Austrian gave him the chance in F1, Marko gave him the promotion to Red Bull Racing, and Marko protected Max during the difficult phase in early 2018. Verstappen has never forgotten that.

Because of that bond, Marko is part of Verstappen's 'group'. Raymond Vermeulen as manager, father Jos Verstappen and Helmut Marko. They are almost inseparable. That very fact could cause Verstappen to leave if Red Bull decides to push Marko out. Verstappen would even have a clause in his contract that allows him to leave if Marko is no longer part of Red Bull.

Unrest within Red Bull

Another reason for Verstappen to leave is the unrest within the team. Verstappen already has two pole positions to his name and is also most likely to get his second win of the season on Saturday. However, it is hardly about that. Even before the season started, it was only about one thing: the investigation into Christian Horner.

That investigation is complete, and Red Bull Racing's team boss wants to move on. Yet the other camp seems to disagree. An e-mail containing alleged WhatsApp conversations between Horner and his accuser followed. In Bahrain Jos Verstappen suggested that Christian Horner should leave. It then came out in Saudi Arabia that the woman in question had been suspended by Red Bull Racing.

It all seems part of an even bigger power struggle at the top between Red Bull Thailand and Red Bull Austria. Red Bull Thailand wants to take control of the race team with Horner, and Red Bull Austria has been trying to get ahead of that with Marko. However, with 51 percent of the shares, the Thai owner has had the power of decision-making since the death of Dietrich Mateschitz.

So, the battle seems far from over, and that can never mean good news for an F1 team. They can still perform at the moment, but such a battle creates camps that could cause the team to fall apart. As a result, it makes sense that Verstappen will consider his options for the future.

2026 engine regulations

One last reason could be the lack of confidence in Red Bull Powertrains' engine project. A lot has been invested in that, but Red Bull has yet to prove that it can compete directly with Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda, Audi and Renault in 2026, together with Ford.

Talks with Mercedes are, therefore, not crazy. Lewis Hamilton is leaving. At the moment, a move to Mercedes seems crazy, but the same was said about Hamilton's move to Mercedes in 2013. In 2014, Mercedes came out on top with the new engine regulations, and Hamilton won title after title.

So what if Verstappen feels the Red Bull Powertrains are not as far along as Mercedes? Then suddenly, a switch would make sense. He would thereby give up one championship in 2025 but manoeuvre himself into a better position for the future. It would be a gamble, but one that could turn out well.