Max Verstappen has been dealing with the rumors that he might leave Red Bull before his contract expires in 2028. But the three-time champion has said that if the team environment is a happy one, then he has no reason to leave. After all, the team is doing more than fine on the track. What they have been able to achieve on the track in the last three years has been quite unprecedented in the sport.
The Milton Keynes outfit has won 42 races since 2022. Max Verstappen has won 38 of them himself. After the first five races in 2024, he is already ahead of everyone else with four victories. Clearly, he has the most superior car in the grid right now. Then, why would any driver want to leave a team if they have a fast car? Lately, Ralf Schumacher pointed out the departure of Adrian Newey as a valid reason for Verstappen’s decision to leave the Austrian outfit.
It Is “Certain” That Max Verstappen Will Leave Red Bull Soon After Newey’s Exit
According to the current contract between Red Bull and Max Verstappen, the Dutch racer should be part of the team until 2028. However, there is a clause in the contract that states if Helmut Marko leaves the Austrian outfit, the Dutchman can follow him, too. But the brother of the legend Michael Scumacher believes the departure of the genius design chief is enough to draw a line between Verstappen and the Milton Keynes outfit. Max loves winning races and titles. But the mastermind behind the superior Red Bull cars will leave the team early in the first quarter of the 2025 season. As a result, chances are the cars won’t be as great as it was in the last few years. That might make Verstappen want to part ways with the team as well.
Lately, speaking with Sky Germany, Ralf Schumacher said Max Verstappen has other options. There are already talks in the paddock that the Dutch racer had been “Talking to others.” But Ralf wonders if the Verstappen’s exit will come next year or the year after. However, the former Grand Prix winner has no doubt that Max wants to leave Christian Horner’s team. Adding to that, Schumacher said there are several engineers who are also leaving Red Bull because they want to stay with Newey wherever he goes next. Moreover, Ralf thinks the current situation of the team spirit at Red Bull is really of “Shame and sad.” On top of that, Schumacher said Dietrich Mateschitz would not have liked the present situation in the team.
Clearly, Jos Verstappen Would Not Want His Son To Race For Christian Horner’s Team
Ralf Schumacher said it is really sad to think about who is the main reason behind the fall of Red Bull. The people who got an opportunity because of Dietrich Mateschitz are tearing the team apart. At the end of the day, it was never a Red Bull family. As Ralf says, “They were just employees at the core.” After the opening Grand Prix this year, Jos Verstappen publicly criticized Christian Horner for tearing the team apart. At least, Jos thinks, Horner is putting the team in a place where it will tear itself apart.
There is an internal power struggle between the Thai Shareholders and the Austrian side of the parent company. Moreover, the Thai shareholders who own the majority share of the company have been backing Horner. But perhaps the Austrian side backs Helmut Marko. Since the situation got worse when a female employee accused Horner of “Inappropriate behavior,” Adrian Newey decided that he had it enough. Perhaps his next destination is Ferrari, as per rumors.
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