Max Verstappen tipped for hasty F1 exit as Red Bull head for bleak future

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has suggested Red Bull could be headed for a bleak future, as he predicts a rather hasty exit for star driver Max Verstappen.

Verstappen has been the subject of rumours linking him with a move to Mercedes lately, with the Dutchman's Red Bull team seemingly now unable to provide him with a championship-winning car.

The four-time world champion is technically contracted to the Milton Keynes team until the end of 2028, but Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko confirmed there are exit clauses in that deal, while Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admitted talks had progressed with Verstappen's team.

Now, Schumacher has suggested Verstappen is likely to leave Red Bull at the end of the 2025 season, especially if he wants to achieve further success in the sport in the short term.

Mercedes are understood to be in the best position to make a performance jump when new regulations enter the sport for the 2026 season, whereas Red Bull's performance only appears to be declining if this year's trajectory is anything to go by.

"The signs are not good for Red Bull at the moment," Schumacher told the Backstage Boxengasse podcast. "If Max Verstappen wants to have short-term success next year, he will have to look elsewhere.

"I therefore believe that the journey is heading towards Mercedes. I could imagine that he himself is still struggling because he is naturally attached to Red Bull," the Sky Germany pundit concluded.

What next for Red Bull if Verstappen leaves?

The supremely talented Verstappen has scored 165 of the team's 172 points in 2025, so it's not overplaying it to suggest that Red Bull would be struggling without their star man.

He has claimed two race victories and a further three podiums in 2025, in a car that is clearly not strong enough to be fighting at the front week in, week out.

The team are currently fourth in the constructors' championship, and have fallen short in both championship races, with not even Verstappen being able to consistently challenge McLaren stars Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in his RB21.

On top of these performance issues, Red Bull also recently axed their long-serving team principal Christian Horner, with former Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies taking over instead.

Verstappen's Red Bull exit links have been further fuelled by Horner's exit and by statements from Marko, who recently admitted the Dutchman's future with the Milton Keynes outfit was of 'great concern'.

F1 HEADLINES: Red Bull chief reveals ‘intensive’ driver talks as team open up on Daniel Ricciardo U-turn

READ MORE: F1 drivers age: How old are Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen, Norris and co?

READ MORE: F1 champion confirms season-end departure

F1 HEADLINES: Red Bull chief reveals ‘intensive’ driver talks as team open up on Daniel Ricciardo U-turn

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