Four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen has been tipped for a shock move away from Red Bull if the team is unable to continue its recent success.
The Dutchman has won four consecutive world titles with the Milton Keynes-based team, and his contract runs until the end of 2028, though the team suffered a poor run of form midway through the 2024 season, with Verstappen not winning for 10 races between Austria and Sao Paolo.
And former McLaren F1 mechanic-turned-pundit Marc Priestley has suggested that incoming regulation changes for 2026 mean that Vertsappen, who will be joined by new teammate Liam Lawson in 2025, could be tempted by a move away in the future.
“The drivers market is so complicated at the moment because everyone is basing their move on the regulation changes in 2026,” Priestley told Casino Uden Rofus.
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“You have to choose the team you think will produce the best car, it could be a team like Williams. It’s a tough call.
“If you’re Max Verstappen, you’d look at McLaren but they have two young drivers for years to come, Mercedes are not at the top at the moment but everyone knows they’re a solid team and very good operators.
“We also know Verstappen has had a lot of talks with Mercedes. You could also look at Williams who, under the leadership of James Vowles, are building heavily towards 2026 with big expectations.
“i know for a fact they expect to compete right at the top with the best teams on the grid, maybe it’s an opportunity for Verstappen.”
The 2026 season will bring changes to the regulations surrounding the chassis and power unit on cars, with Red Bull potentially facing more difficulty than other teams due to the incorporation of a brand new power unit that they have designed themselves.
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Nevertheless, if Red Bull’s performance was to drop, Priestley believes the Dutchman” could easily retire in the next few years” rather than move to a rival.
“After years of winning continuously, having a slight drought of trophies could make you lose interest in the sport,” he said.
“If Red Bull suddenly drop to a mid-table team in 2026, Verstappen will start asking himself questions. I can see him hang up his boots then. But, maybe he’ll see a decline at Red Bull before 2026 and join a new team ahead of the regulation changes, like Lewis Hamilton has done by joining Ferrari,” he added.
“It’s like any of us changing jobs, it’s exciting at the beginning.
“If Verstappen changes team and it goes well, he’ll continue on winning, but if he’s not winning as much as he usually does, I can 100 percent see him leaving the sport earlier than most would expect.”
Verstappen has been confirmed to partner Liam Lawson next season a he hunts a fifth straight championship title, with the 2025 season beginning in Melbourne on 16 March.
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