Max Verstappen F1 news: Red Bull 'terrified' over champion's F1 decision

Max Verstappen

Red Bull 'terrified' over pivotal Max Verstappen F1 decision

Red Bull are facing a brutal reality in F1

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Thursday 17 July 2025 21:14 Updated: 15:54

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Red Bull's F1 team are reportedly fearing the worst awaiting an official decision over the future of their star driver Max Verstappen.

The four-time champion has been connected with a blockbuster move to Mercedes in recent months as his struggles with the team he has called home for most of his career are beginning to prove too much to overcome.

Last year Verstappen wrapped up his fourth consecutive title victory with time to spare, securing his trophy at the Las Vegas GP, two rounds prior to the season finale.

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His 2025 campaign paints an entirely different picture however, dragging behind championship leader Oscar Piastri by 69 points as things stand.

At the halfway point of the season, the Dutchman has not one but two McLarens to leapfrog if he has any chance of retaining the championship, but with regards to his future title battles, it appears they may not something he can partake in whilst still driving for Red Bull.

Throughout 2025 Verstappen has been heard moaning over team radio that the RB21 is 'undriveable', and with the staff departing Red Bull outweighing any talent coming in, things don't look set to improve any time soon.

If Max Verstappen left Red Bull for Mercedes, Helmut Marko would have a driver line-up issue on his hands

Red Bull fears persist over Verstappen exit

Rumours of Verstappen's future with Mercedes have intensified in recent weeks and at the Austrian GP, the Silver Arrows team principal Toto Wolff confirmed his interest in signing the Dutchman.

Yet when Red Bull made the bombshell announcement that Christian Horner had been sacked with immediate effect last week, it added a new twist to the discussion over Verstappen's future.

The Milton Keynes-based F1 team have not issued an official explanation for Horner's dismissal, but many pundits have posed the question over whether it was perhaps the only way to ensure that Verstappen remains loyal to Red Bull.

Despite the shock reshuffle, Dutch reporter Erik van Haren insists the Red Bull camp are still facing a nervous wait.

van Haren writes for De Telegraaf: "It should be known in a few weeks where Verstappen will drive next year. First up are the races in Belgium and Hungary, after which it is summer break. Stories of a hand-to-hand deal with Red Bull's management - Horner out, so Verstappen stays anyway - are dismissed as nonsense by all parties.

"Rather, it is still the case that Red Bull's top brass is terrified that Verstappen will still leave. It will soon become clear whether Mintzlaff and consorts can breathe a sigh of relief."

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