F1 star Max Verstappen tipped to ditch Red Bull for rival team

Max Verstappen

Verstappen tipped to ditch Red Bull for rival team

Max Verstappen has had a tumultuous 2024 season

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 13 December 2024 19:00

Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen could leave Red Bull in the next couple of years, according to a former F1 star.

2024 brought the Dutchman's fourth straight drivers' championship, but a chaotic year saw the departure of some key members of the team, most notably design guru Adrian Newey.

Article continues under video

However, Verstappen's 2024 title came at a bit of a struggle, with the 27-year-old not winning a race between June-November, allowing McLaren's Lando Norris into the championship battle.

What's more, Red Bull's pace deficit to their rivals was such that they could only finish third in the constructors' championship, with Verstappen becoming the first driver since 1983 to win an F1 drivers' title while their team could only finish third.

Max Verstappen is now a four-time world champion

Max Verstappen has been linked with a move to one of Red Bull's rivals

Will Verstappen leave Red Bull?

It has been suggested he may try to leave Red Bull before the new regulations sweep into the sport in 2026, with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff already having expressed an interest in signing the four-time world champion.

Verstappen is contracted with Red Bull until the end of 2028, but it's thought that an exit clause exists within his deal that would allow him to leave if Red Bull are no longer competitive.

Now, former McLaren and Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya has suggested that Verstappen will be looking to switch teams before he ends his time in the sport altogether.

"I think Max Verstappen will end up leaving in a couple of years. He won’t leave the sport, it’s the ultimate, he’ll leave Red Bull," Montoya told Instant Casino.

Juan Pablo Montoya raced with Williams between 2001-2004

"He doesn't have it that difficult. Yes, it's hard because he works really hard. He has a stable job. And he kind of controls a lot of what happens.

"The big question is, is Max willing to play cool if '26 is bad? You know, if Red Bull comes with the powertrains and it's not where it needs to be, is Max going to be happy running tenth? No.

"And Mercedes comes with an offer, he is going to jump ship straight away. It's very easy to be loyal when you win in races. If I was in his shoes for sure I would be looking at that already.

"It would surprise me if he's not. Publicly he would say, ’no way,’ but internally I would be surprised if a conversation was not going on."

Red Bull Max Verstappen Mercedes McLaren Lando Norris Toto Wolff