Verstappen told he could struggle to find top F1 seat amid Red Bull exit threat

Ever since the start of the season, speculation has been rife over both Verstappen's Red Bull and F1 future altogether. The Dutchman has been the grid's most vocal critic against the 2026 F1 regulations, likening the racing to Mario Kart, and questioning whether staying in the sport is currently "worth it."

The Dutchman has also lost trusted allies at Red Bull. Following the departure of motorsport advisor Helmut Marko in December, Verstappen is set to lose race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to McLaren in 2028. The announcement of the move has been made at a time when Red Bull are struggling with their 2026 challenger, the RB22, a car that Verstappen has branded "undriveable" at times.

Verstappen currently sits P9 in the standings, with Red Bull in P6 behind Alpine and Haas, and are already 119 points behind championship leaders Mercedes in the Constructors'.

Discontent with the 2026 regulations, and a seemingly crumbling empire at Red Bull, have compounded to make Verstappen's future anything but certain. GPblog previously reported that that staying at Red Bull appears to be an option that clearly ranks below several other possibilities.

Former McLaren man Brundle has had his say on whether Red Bull can keep Verstappen, while also focusing on the Dutchman's seemingly limited options should he leave Red Bull at the end of this season.

When asked by Sky Sports whether the Milton Keynes team have a real job on their hands to retain Verstappen's services, Brundle said: "They have, I think because Max has made it quite clear he wants to see how the car goes and so any updates they bring.

The Sky pundit's attention then turned to possibilities if Verstappen did leave Red Bull, but despite the four-time world champion's talents, Brundle does not see an obvious route back to the very top for Verstappen.

"I'm not sure it's that easy for Max to just jump ship at the moment. Mercedes have got two homegrown talents in their car in Russell and Antonelli. McLaren are set fair with a tremendous line-up that gels very much, Ferrari with Leclerc and Hamilton," Brundle added.

"If you're going to move Red Bull, for performance only, it's going to have to be one of those three teams I just mentioned."