Max Verstappen’s Red Bull Future in Doubt as Key Figures Exit Amid Team Turmoil

New Doubts Arise About Max Verstappen’s Future with Red Bull Amid Departures of Key Personnel

Is Max Verstappen considering leaving Red Bull? Esteemed Dutch F1 journalist shares his perspective.

Max Verstappen's future in Formula 1 is under scrutiny once more due to the exit of key personnel from the Red Bull team.

This year, much attention has been given to the future of the current world champion, especially after Mercedes made public efforts to recruit Verstappen as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton, who is set to join Ferrari next season.

In light of the political unrest within the Red Bull team due to allegations of sexual harassment and coercive, controlling behavior against team principal Christian Horner, there have been concerns about Verstappen's future.

Max Verstappen, whose contract extends through 2028, has consistently stated that he plans to stay with Red Bull. Despite this, speculation about his future persists.

Recent news indicates that Red Bull has secured a new agreement with their motorsport advisor, Helmut Marko. This move, which seems to be linked to Max Verstappen's future at the team, deals a setback to their competitors' ambitions of attracting the Dutch driver.

When questioned about his confidence in Verstappen remaining with Red Bull in 2025, Erik van Haren, a journalist from De Telegraaf, mentioned on the F1 Nation Podcast: "Yes. The situation is that in Austria, Verstappen stated he would stay, but that was after being asked three or four times."

He didn't mention it right away. I believe it was the third question that required a simple 'yes or no' answer. Naturally, he couldn't respond with 'no' since that would have led to a crisis over the weekend.

"He has always planned to remain with Red Bull, definitely for next year. The only exception was during a major upheaval in Jeddah, when rumors circulated about Helmut Marko potentially being suspended. At that time, he made it clear that if Marko left, he would too. However, since that didn't occur, his intention is to stay with Red Bull through 2025."

Van Haren acknowledged that it's still uncertain if the departures of Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley have influenced Verstappen's mindset.

"It's a valid observation too," Van Haren remarked. "At the start of the year, he mentioned that it was crucial for him that key figures within the team remain. Now, it's intriguing to witness Newey and Wheatley departing within months of each other."

This indicates that things are quite dynamic at Red Bull. For example, Jonathan Wheatley is moving to Audi to take on the role of team principal. You could view this move as a promotion for Wheatley, given that there's no vacancy for such a position at Red Bull with Christian Horner leading the team.

"I'm eager to hear Max's thoughts on this matter when we speak to him on Thursday in Zandvoort. Naturally, we'll bring it up. While I doubt it will affect his plans for 2025, it will be fascinating to see what he decides for 2026."

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