Red Bull F1 linked with extraordinary move for McLaren star: 'It's happened before'

Verstappen, Norris, Piastri, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Red Bull linked with extraordinary move for McLaren F1 star: 'It's happened before'

Max Verstappen out, Oscar Piastri in?

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 15 April 2026 12:55

Red Bull have been linked with a shocking move for one of the stars of the McLaren F1 team as uncertainty continues to surround the future of their star driver, Max Verstappen.

The four-time champion has been vocal about his dislike of the new power unit regulations in 2026, with Dutch media even reporting that he is now 'seriously considering' retirement if things don't improve.

Red Bull have been unable to provide him with a competitive car so far this season, with rumours of a performance-based exit clause once again stirring up interest in the paddock of where the Dutchman could end up should he ever decide to leave the brand he has been affiliated with for his entire career.

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Mercedes had previously positioned themselves as the main party interested in signing Verstappen should he ever become a free agent again.

However, when news broke last week that the 28-year-old's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase would be leaving Red Bull for McLaren no later than 2028, the rumour mill went into overload over how Verstappen could follow GP to the papaya F1 team.

But who could replace Red Bull's star driver in the event of a move to McLaren?

Are 'negotiations' underway for Piastri Red Bull move?

Speaking in his punditry role with

The six-time grand prix winner then pointed out that Verstappen could be looking to follow GP to McLaren, something which he felt would indicate that talks are underway once again between Oscar Piastri and Red Bull.

Amid the papaya rules controversy that many argued cost Piastri vital championship points during his title fight with team-mate Lando Norris last season, rumours spread of the Aussie's manager and ex-Red Bull driver Mark Webber enquiring whether there could be room for Piastri at Red Bull in the future.

Assessing the likelihood of a Red Bull move for the McLaren driver given the recent events, Schumacher continued: "Or: he [Verstappen] could move to McLaren with his engineer, which would equally imply that negotiations are underway at McLaren for Oscar Piastri – as we’ve seen before – to join Red Bull."

What would Red Bull look like without Verstappen?

Though Verstappen's current contract is set to see him race for Red Bull until the end of the 2028 campaign, Schumacher added that the rumoured performance-based exit clause in the Dutchman's contract could see him handed the opportunity to depart even sooner.

"We mustn’t forget either that this exit clause, which was reportedly denied, appears to exist," Schumacher added.

"It currently doesn’t look as though Red Bull will be in a top position by the middle of the year. Consequently, Verstappen is also free to do something like that."

If the performance-based exit clause does prove true, Verstappen's team switch could be the next Red Bull departure, and certainly the biggest blow to the squad.

And Schumacher has warned the Milton Keynes-based outfit that to rebuild the team without their star driver could take years.

"Red Bull is in the process of rebuilding, which I believe will take two to three years," the German said.

"They’ll need a knack for recruiting new people and building a new Red Bull. But I believe that, as a young, dynamic team, Red Bull is capable of pulling off such a rebuild a second time. It just takes a bit of time."

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen McLaren Oscar Piastri Ralf Schumacher