F1 insider convinced 'Verstappen is staying with Red Bull for the rest of his career'

The four-time world champion arrived at the Nürburgring last weekend aiming to add yet another remarkable chapter to his motorsport legacy, but his dream of winning the prestigious Nürburgring 24 Hours came to a cruel end after a technical issue struck the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3. The problem forced Verstappen and his team-mates out of contention for victory, with the crew ultimately classified down in 38th place by the end of the race.

Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast, Coulthard explained that he cannot see Verstappen leaving Red Bull, arguing that no other Formula 1 team would give the Dutchman the same level of freedom and trust to fully express himself as a driver. In his view, teams such as McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes operate very differently when it comes to managing their star drivers, whereas Red Bull has built an environment perfectly suited to Verstappen’s personality and approach.

“In my mind Max will not be going anywhere, because there's no other Formula One team that would allow him to be Max. McLaren wouldn't be able to do it, Ferrari wouldn't be able to do it, Mercedes wouldn't be able to do it, despite the fact he was driving a Mercedes, just because of the investment that goes into the individual driver, but Red Bull do.”

The Brit also recalled his first conversations with Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz before joining the team as a driver, explaining how he was encouraged from day one to remain true to his own personality. According to the former F1 driver, Verstappen is benefiting from that exact same philosophy today, which is why he remains convinced the Dutchman will spend the rest of his Formula 1 career with Red Bull.

Nowadays, Verstappen is widely regarded as one of the defining drivers of his generation and a future all-time great in F1. Back in 2016, however, Red Bull’s decision to place him in the senior team was viewed by many as a huge gamble, with the Dutchman still only at the very beginning of his career. Despite the doubts surrounding his lack of experience, Red Bull chose to hand Verstappen a seat alongside Daniel Ricciardo, overlooking Carlos Sainz in the process. Reflecting on that decision years later, Marko admitted Sainz struggled to hide his frustration after missing out on the promotion, while internally not everyone at Red Bull was fully convinced either.

The Austrian revealed Horner had reservations about moving Verstappen up so early into the 2016 season, fearing the pressure and expectations could come too soon for such a young driver. Nevertheless, he remained convinced Verstappen was the right choice, even as criticism poured in from outside the team over what many considered a reckless decision at the time.

“Carlos Sainz was very disappointed that we didn’t choose him. But for us, it was a clear and simple decision,” he said. “Christian Horner disagreed with promoting Max after just four races in 2016; he was against it. Just as many rivals and critics put me through the wringer and said that Max was still far too young and that this was a dangerous move.”