Why Max Verstappen to McLaren is now logical, Red Bull is no longer what it once was

Credit for photo: IMAGO x GPFANS — Photo: © IMAGO x GPFANS

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen to McLaren now makes sense, this is not the Red Bull we once knew

Times have changed for Verstappen and Red Bull

By Vincent Bruins.

Thursday 9 July 2026 22:28

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The future of Max Verstappen is the dominant storyline in F1 right now as the Dutchman decides whether to stay at Red Bull or complete a blockbusting transfer. GPFans Netherlands insider Vincent Bruins looks at what happens next, and why.

F1 silly season is in full swing in 2026, and there is only one topic of conversation - rumours are swirling that Max Verstappen is about to leave Red Bull to join McLaren.

The four-time world champion has an exit clause in his current contract, which (bad for Red Bull) is about to kick in just with the team at its lowest point in recent memory.

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Verstappen is coming off the back of crashes at both the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone in the past two weekends, and to put it mildly he is not a happy man.

Switching to wear papaya from 2027 is not Verstappen's only option, but it might be the most logical after more than a decade with the Milton Keynes team.

Let's look in more depth at those options, and how things are likely to play out.

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F1 retirement and a switch to GT3 racing

One possibility - something the man himself has referenced in recent months - is that Verstappen retires from Formula 1 in favour of GT3 racing.

I recently covered events at the Nürburgring and I managed to speak with him as he enjoyed something very different to F1. It was very evident that he thrives on a track like the Nürburgring Nordschleife and truly enjoys his role as both team boss and driver for Verstappen Racing.

Beyond the famous Eifel circuit, his team is also competing in the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, and their collaboration with Mercedes-AMG is steadily growing.

Driving a GT3 car offers a refreshing change from the constrained F1 machines which are now so loaded with strict technical regulations. Verstappen has nothing left to prove in Formula 1; with four world championships under his belt and a memorable one-on-one battle against Lewis Hamilton in 2021, his legacy is already secure.

Staying with Red Bull, despite the cracks

Verstappen could choose to remain with Red Bull and he and his team have until now stated this would be their preferred option.

The 28-year-old still has a contract for another two-and-a-half seasons, and the energy drink giant would be eager to extend it. Nobody wants to lose a star driver after all.

However, the bigger question is whether Verstappen now wants to stay at Red Bull.

On one hand, with his championship legacy already cemented, he might find new challenges within the team enticing. Perhaps he could derive satisfaction from helping refine the DM01 power unit produced by Red Bull Powertrains and Ford, or he might have other ambitions with the company which has been his F1 home since day one. But maybe he won't.

The brutal truth is that Red Bull isn’t what it used to be and in many ways, Verstappen is already part of a “new” team.

Key figures such as Adrian Newey and Rob Marshall have moved on to Aston Martin and McLaren respectively. Former sporting director Jonathan Wheatley departed to briefly lead Audi and other crucial personnel - including chief mechanic Matt Caller and engine engineer David Mart - left to join him.

Even Christian Horner is no longer at the helm, while Helmut Marko resigning and Verstappen's long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase has already signed to join McLaren no later than 2028.

Matters came to a head during the British Grand Prix when Verstappen's strategic suggestions were ignored. He wanted to start from the pit lane to allow for more extensive modifications in parc fermé, demonstrating a clear disconnect within the team.

Could this very incident explain his rumoured late-night conversations with Toto Wolff over a future at Mercedes? And when you consider what was at stake during the Silverstone weekend, Red Bull had little to lose.

Verstappen starting in the pit lane might have provided more valuable test mileage with a modified car, especially now that the title fight seems out of reach. Even more importantly, it would have showed the team was listening to its star driver.

Following 'GP' to McLaren

All the whispers in the F1 paddock now suggest that McLaren have emerged as the most likely destination for Verstappen. This is an evolving situation and the landscape appears to have shifted significantly in the last week alone.

Initially, I believed that staying to work through the challenges with Red Bull might be the satisfying path for Verstappen. But if the team isn’t listening to his input, it seems increasingly unlikely that they can turn things around.

In truth Red Bull has been struggling for years - balance issues, highlighted halfway through 2024 after the 2023 upgrades, saw Verstappen lose the championship in 2025.

This year things are even worse with Max languishing in seventh position in the standings - 103 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli. The decline in Milton Keynes is undeniable, while by contrast McLaren is a team still on the up.

There was a long period - from the end of the 2012 season until the 2021 Italian Grand Prix - when wins and podiums were hard to come by in Woking. But under CEO Zak Brown, team principal Andrea Stella and designer Rob Marshall, papaya has enjoyed a rapid revival over the past five years.

With Constructors’ championships won in 2024 and 2025 and Lando Norris securing the Drivers’ title last year, the outlook is changing.

Sure, McLaren might not have the absolute best car at the moment, but they have the resources to build one - a capability which Red Bull’s current trajectory leaves in doubt.

It is also worth noting again that Lambiase will eventually join McLaren. Given his close relationship with Verstappen, it would not be surprising if they wanted to continue working together.

Verstappen's McLaren connections

Interestingly, there are already connections between Verstappen and McLaren - the Verstappen Racing car in the GT World Challenge is run by 2 Seas Motorsport, owned by Isa Al Khalifa, a member of Bahrain’s royal family.

And who owns McLaren? The Mumtalakat Holding Company, Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund. With McLaren also preparing to enter the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class, a move could even pave the way for Verstappen to race at Le Mans in his signature papaya orange.

Considering all these factors, and the current direction of travel, imagining Verstappen at McLaren in 2027 is no longer a wild thought.

In fact right now, it might be the only logical choice.

Written by

Vincent Bruins - Redacteur GPFans NL

Vincent Bruins (29) is een Nederlandse Formule 1-redacteur met vier jaar ervaring in de F1-journalistiek. Hij heeft meer dan tien jaar ervaring als redacteur en content creator in de GT-racerij. Hij duikt graag in de technische en sportieve reglementen. Zo weet Vincent alle ins en outs op het gebied van bijvoorbeeld de techniek van F1-bolides en straffen. Tevens schrijft hij bij GPFans columns.

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F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen McLaren