Red Bull 'have one advantage' in bid to keep Max Verstappen as F1 champion weighs up transfer

Red Bull have one key advantage in their desperate fight to keep four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen, according to a leading insider.

The 28-year-old Dutchman's current contract runs through to 2028, but there is an exit clause which is now very much in play.

Verstappen was (well) outside the top two in the Drivers' championship standings when the summer break arrived after the Hungarian Grand Prix. That means he is free to activate the clause and move to a new team for 2027, should he wish to.

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Verstappen linked with Mercedes and McLaren

Mercedes and McLaren have been linked with moves for Verstappen in recent weeks, while the driver himself has been steadfast in his line that ideally he would continue his career with Red Bull.

Verstappen though has also made it clear he wants a car that enables him to challenge for wins - that hasn't really happened so far in 2026.

Not only has the sport's greatest driver right now been extremely displeased with the sport's new regulations, he has been openly critical of his team's 2026 car.

He even claimed "It's becoming dangerous for myself" after crashing on back-to-back race weekends in Austria and then at Silverstone.

Mighty Dutchman facing massive decision

It is against this backdrop that Verstappen is pondering the biggest decision of his glittering career to date. A career that has delivered 71 race wins, 48 pole positions, 37 fastest laps, and 131 podiums as well as those four world titles.

Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has provided his take on the situation while speaking on the Up To Speed podcast, and he believes it is a very nuanced situation at present.

Speaking after the recent Hungarian Grand Prix, he revealed: "I think the problem for Max at the moment after yesterday's race, if you'd asked me three of four days ago, I would say going to McLaren is a sideways move. After yesterday [when Lando Norris won in Budapest] maybe it's not a sideways move. But things changed since last weekend.

"For me, if Max goes somewhere, obviously wants to go somewhere that's better than Red Bull. And there's not many teams that are better than Red Bull. Maybe Red Bull in the moment is not where they want to be - at the forefront where they were a few years ago. But it's still one of the big four, good teams."

Steiner assessed the potential landing spots for Verstappen, explaining: "At Ferrari, the seats are filled. At Mercedes obviously I think they've found the next Verstappen so maybe they don't need the real Max Verstappen at the moment.

"And then McLaren, but McLaren until a few races ago - are they really better than Red Bull?"

Red Bull control their own destiny, and that could be key

Steiner then revealed what he believes could be Red Bull's trump card if Verstappen's choice becomes staying put or wearing papaya from 2027.

"I think Red Bull has one advantage, they've got their own engine now. It's an advantage if you've got a works engine. McLaren is doing very well having a Mercedes customer engine.

"But in the end that would be the only possibility and I don't know if that possibility even exists - you know there was the rumour that maybe Oscar [Piastri] could go to Red Bull.

"But I think that is the biggest thing for Max. If Max goes somewhere, he wants to go to the best team around."

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