According to reports, Max Verstappen “wants to leave Red Bull as soon as possible” and may even take a break to consider his choices going forward.
Verstappen, a three-time World Champion, has won 51 of the last 82 races dating back to the beginning of his first championship-winning season in 2021, solidifying his status as one of the greatest drivers in Formula One history.
Max Verstappen has no intention of finishing out his current Red Bull contract, according to F1 rumors.
Nevertheless, since winning the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona on June 23, the 26-year-old has lost all six of his races, the longest winning drought he has experienced since 2020.
Despite maintaining a 62-point advantage over Lando Norris of McLaren in the Drivers’ standings, Red Bull’s mid-season downturn has raised more questions about his future.
Verstappen has a contract that runs through the end of the 2028 season, but after Lewis Hamilton unexpectedly decided to join Ferrari for the 2025 Formula One season, he was strongly connected to a switch to Mercedes this year.
The manager of the Mercedes team, Toto Wolff, was open about his intention to sign Verstappen but ultimately decided to elevate teenage phenom Andrea Kimi Antonelli to replace Hamilton.
It is unclear if Mercedes will show another interest in Verstappen before the significant rule changes in Formula One arrive in 2026.
At the Italian Grand Prix this weekend, where Verstappen could only manage a sixth-place finish – his poorest finish since May’s Monaco GP – as Red Bull’s problems continued, Antonelli was officially announced as George Russell’s teammate for F1 2025.
Verstappen continued, calling the RB20 vehicle a “monster” and advising the team to “turn the car upside down” in an attempt to revive their struggling campaign.
Verstappen is under contract with Red Bull for the next four seasons, but according to a report in the Swiss-German newspaper Blick, he “wants to leave as soon as possible” and it has been “long since agreed” by his camp that he won’t stay for the full term of his present contract.
Verstappen’s relationship with team principal Christian Horner is believed to have “been severed” as a result of the well-publicized exits of Red Bull’s long-serving sporting director Jonathan Wheatley and design icon Adrian Newey, which some have seen as a serious setback to the Milton Keynes-based company.
Verstappen is apparently eager to quit Red Bull due to “many question marks” surrounding the company’s in-house engine project for 2026, but a lack of other options may require him to take a hiatus.
Given that Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are bound to multi-year contracts with Ferrari, while Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are committed to long-term contracts at McLaren, Mercedes may be Verstappen’s only realistic option to leave the team.
After Antonelli’s promotion at Monza was confirmed, Mercedes decided not to reveal the precise duration of his contract; George Russell’s current contract is slated to expire at the end of Formula One in 2025.
It is stated, nevertheless, that Verstappen may find it “extremely difficult” to push his way into a Mercedes seat if both Antonelli and Russell do well the next season.
The demands of the demanding schedule on drivers have been one of Verstappen’s repeated warnings in previous years that he may have to retire early from Formula One.
Horner expressed his opinion that Verstappen will stay with Red Bull as long as the team continues to provide him with a competitive car in interviews with the media, including PlanetF1.com, during last month’s Dutch Grand Prix.
He acknowledged, however, that Verstappen is subject to exit provisions should the team fail to meet predetermined performance goals.
Concerning Verstappen’s future at Zandvoort, Horner responded, “I find it surprising how much discussion there is about this topic in the open media.”
“We’re comfortable where we are, but the situation with Max and myself has always been clear. I believe that others can talk.”
Delivering is up to us. Since our agreement expires in 2028, it is up to us to fulfill.
“At Zandvoort, I didn’t see Toto’s car operating that well.” It’s a long way off, 2028. Our responsibility is to supply a race-winning vehicle.
“A performance [clause] is a part of every contract. We won’t discuss those specifics, but as long as we deliver a competitive vehicle, we are aware of the circumstances.