Red Bull taking Max Verstappen F1 exit threat 'very seriously' as replacement emerges

Red Bull

Red Bull taking Max Verstappen F1 exit threat 'very seriously' as replacement emerges

Red Bull are reportedly preparing for life without Max Verstappen

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 18 May 2026 12:57

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Far from being another addition to the F1 rumour mill, Red Bull are reportedly taking the threat of a Max Verstappen exit 'very seriously'.

The likelihood that Verstappen could leave Red Bull increased at the dawn of the new regulations, where rumours swirled the four-time champion could exit the sport entirely after he branded the new machinery as the antithesis to racing.

While Red Bull enjoyed a slight turnaround in performance in Miami, the threat of Mercedes looms large as they plan to introduce a raft of upgrades to the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix and could regain their significant advantage in Montreal.

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At present, McLaren appear to be the most dangerous threat to Mercedes following a strong showing in Miami, where Lando Norris had the upper hand during the sprint portion of the weekend.

Both Mercedes and McLaren have emerged as likely contenders to acquire Verstappen's signature, the latter more so after reports emerged that the Woking outfit had recently been in talks with the Verstappen camp.

Now, further fuel has been added to speculation that Verstappen could leave Red Bull, with the team themselves said to be taking his potential exit 'very seriously'.

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Buxton: Red Bull interested in signing rival F1 star

Verstappen's future was once again the topic on the Up to Speed podcast, where Will Buxton, Naomi Schiff and Jolie Sharpe discussed recent rumours connecting the champion with McLaren.

Rather than just being another rumour, however, Buxton was more willing to entertain that Red Bull were preparing for a Verstappen exit with Autosport reporting the team are targeting Oscar Piastri as a replacement option.

Inclined to trust this report, Buxton commented: "Red Bull are very, very interested in signing Oscar Piastri should Max Verstappen decide to leave.

"Now this is interesting for a number of reasons but the first being that Red Bull I think are taking Max's threat very seriously if they are seriously lining up people that they would like to replace him with."

Autosport's report further claims that Red Bull chiefs, team principal Laurent Mekies and Red Bull GmbH's managing director Oliver Mintzlaff, are ready to move forwards with the Piastri plan if Verstappen chooses to leave - whether that is to another team or from F1 entirely.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen McLaren Oscar Piastri Will Buxton