F1 News: Max Verstappen 'must be selfish' to avoid career-ending decision

Max Verstappen and GP walk through the paddock at the Belgian GP — Photo: © IMAGO

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Max Verstappen 'must be selfish' to avoid career-ending F1 decision

Verstappen will do well to take this advice on board

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 18 July 2026 11:55

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Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen has been warned that he must put himself first when making a decision about his future as the Dutchman continues to refuse to respond to rumours of a looming Red Bull exit.

Verstappen has just two race weekends left before the annual summer shutdown, which also marks the deadline for him to meet the conditions of his current performance-based contract clause.

It is now mathematically impossible for the 28-year-old to finish in the top two of the drivers' standings by the summer break, sparking reports that he is looking to activate the clause and begin the groundwork for an early departure from Red Bull.

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There have been persistent yet mostly unfounded rumours that the Dutchman could be set to partake in a driver swap with McLaren and Oscar Piastri, although conversations ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix have made that eventuality look increasingly unlikely.

When asked about his own future at Spa, Verstappen gave a blunt reply and made it clear he did not wish to be asked about the matter further, reassuring media he would be the one to announce any changes to his decision should there be any in future.

Piastri, on the other hand, appeared keen to give a more definitive answer, putting the rumours to bed for now.

When speaking to media including GPFans on Thursday, Piastri was asked if he could confirm that he would be driving for McLaren in 2027, to which the Aussie driver simply responded: "Yes."

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Verstappen must put himself first as F1 future decision looms

Though Red Bull's star driver is currently contracted to drive for the energy drink giants until the end of 2028, the existence of his exit clause has made talk of his departure a topic of both the 2025 and 2026 silly seasons.

His manager Raymond Vermeulen reassured media earlier this week that Verstappen won't necessarily use the clause just because it exists.

And now, a fellow champion has even issued some advice the Dutchman will do well to remember in the coming weeks and months as he prepares to make an official decision.

Speaking to media including GPFans at an event hosted by global ticket marketplace, viagogo, 2009 champion Jenson Button gave his thoughts on Verstappen's dilemma.

"He is an unbelievable talent that I personally have never seen before, what he can do with a race car but he wants to have fun, he wants to enjoy himself, and fighting further down the field isn't what he's here for," said Button.

"I think, looking at how Red Bull did in Austria, he would definitely be relatively positive about what he's able to achieve with the car against Mercedes, who are doing such a good job in terms of both drivers are quick, cars working well pretty much everywhere.

"For Red Bull to be up there with them at the end, and within a second of the win will give him a lot of confidence. You know, he finished so far in front of the McLarens."

But Verstappen has also crashed twice in as many race weekends as a result of his Red Bull machinery, even causing the team to make a change by removing their 'macarena' wing for this weekend's race at Spa.

Button noted that Verstappen's decision will not be an easy one, although he urged him to be 'selfish' when weighing up what to do next.

"For a racing driver, it's very difficult to pick and choose where you want to be in the future and I have to say, you have to be selfish about it. You really do. It's very easy to make the wrong call, and that is your career. Done."

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 Jenson Button