Max Verstappen’s Red Bull future nears a crossroads with changes ahead on and off the track

Max Versaben is preparing for one of the largest years of his life.

Ruling World champion four times Have you put his view on a fifth consecutive title, which is only Michael Schumacher, which enhances his place among the greats at all.

With the exception of a big performance from Red Ball this winter, the Dutchman faces the most dangerous challenge to crown so far, as McLaren and Ferrari are expected to continue in the second half of last year.

Outside the path, there are also changes, as Verstapen and his long -term partner expect their first child together, so it is normal to think of the future.

Although only 27, Verstapen previously said he was closer to the end of his career from the beginning. It is under a contract with Red Bull until 2028, when one of the most profitable contracts occurred in the history of sport slightly more than three years ago. But with a lot of change on the horizon, this year can represent a crossroads.

Sixty -three wins, 40 jobs, 112 platforms and four world championships have placed Verstapen and Red Bull among the most successful partnerships of the drivers team in F1 date.

Since Red Paul has gambled on Verstapen, he put him in F1 with her brother team, Toro Rosso, on 17 years 2015 before promoting him to his first team after only one year, both sides of the rewards.

Verstapen rarely showed any serious signs of obesity or frustration in Red Bull. The only general hint that could look forward to leaving early last season was when he was the adviser of the Red Bull Helmut Marco team Facing the audit On its potential role in the leaks surrounding Investigation of the team manager Christian Horner.

Versappen said he could not continue the team without Marco, whose future was quickly resolved after his meeting with Red Bull GmbH Oliver Mintzlaf. Verstapen continues to say it wants a peaceful environment for the race. By the end of the season, this was what he had.

The beginning of the year of Red Bull caused at Verstapen Located with a step to MercedesWho needs a driver to replace Luis Hamilton, linked to Ferrari. The President of Mercedes Toto Wolf Versaben has always been admired and regularly hinted at an interest in his signature last year – until he spoke with the father and director of Versaben in the summer – before confirming this Andrea Kimi Antonelle will join Besides George Russell. After the announcement, Wolf said he saw the duo representing the future of Mercedes.

Speaking to reporters in December to think of a year, Horner said, “I had no concerns that (Verstapen) wanted to leave.” While he understood why there would be interest, Horner noticed the general nature of what he described as a “noise” about the future of Verstapen. He said, “The dangerous things are usually behind the scenes,” not through the media. “The exciting nature of Hamilton Ferrari last February works as a recent evidence for this.

Horner’s theory was at the forefront of the mind in mid -January when the Daily Mail, President of Aston Martin, the potential sponsors of the team’s plan to sign Verestapen at an amazing price of one billion dollars in the story. Aston Martin categorically denied the report upon reaching it Athlete.

Aston Martin has always been an ambitious to become the operation of a world champion under the leadership of Lawrence. The team has a new new factory in Silverstone. In March, you will welcome Adrian New, the outgoing chief technical employee in Red Ball, and the most decorated auto designer in F1 history. He will also secure exclusive supply of the Honda engine, which has operated the Verstapen for all his F1 titles in Red Bull, starting in 2026. All these factors may be attractive to any driver looking to move, not to mention the financial strength behind the project.

But the Aston Martin project is still a continuous work. In early 2023, Fernando Alonso emerged as a competitor in Verstapen and Red Bull, and ended regularly on the platform. The shape of the team has faded since then. It has failed to finish the race higher than the fifth of last year and underwent an adjustment outside the path this winter, with the CEO of the team Andy Cowell now the role of the team manager. Basic building blocks may gather with Aston Martin, but still seem steps away from disrupting the “older four” firm from Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren.

Does Aston Martin like to have Verstapen, but will he resume it? (Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

Verstapen’s priority is driving a winning car. He had to spend his time waiting for Red Ball to get a position to fight for the title, so the dominant Mercedes was in late 2010, but he did not lose a championship since he got a mechanism capable of winning in 2021. The competition will be intense, but he proved the year The past is that even without the fastest car car in this season, it is difficult to overcome.

Next year can determine how the last years of the Red Bull contract can look at Verstapen. The new car design and engine design is the arrangement of the attackers and giving the possibility to one team for clear withdrawal and control, similar to Mercedes in 2014 or Red Bull, Red Bull Powertrains, which works In cooperation with FordIt will become the official energy unit resource.

Red Bull knows the bullish trend to form its engine section. For the first time, you will be completely controlled by its fate and not dependent on the performance of the customer’s engine. Its previous partnership turned with Renault when the French manufacturer failed to produce a competitive power unit, leaving Red Bull, unable to confront Mercedes and Ferrari regularly.

But even with the impressive facility under construction in Milton Keynes, the transition from the starting process to an engine factory is able to compete with the F1 names in less than four years, is a large demand. Red Bull will make itself rewards – or pay the price – for the level of performance in 2026.

“For us we come to our power units, there are great risks related to that,” Horner said. “But there are also aspects between integration between the two worlds. We are the only team, unlike Ferrari who carries everything on one university campus, under one roof, and we already see synergy between engine engineers, designers and structure designers.”

Although the performance of the power unit has been connected in one way or another in F1, there is a expectation of some great fluctuations at the beginning of the new base in 2026, which can be the most important performance discrimination. It will make it more important for the new Red Bull and Ford project to start a strong start, especially to ensure Versappen gets the car he needs to continue fighting in order to win and championships.

Few, if any, from the great F1 greats enjoy their success with one team. Schumacher wrote the largest part of his legacy with Ferrari, but his first two titles came with Beniton in the mid -1990s. Alan Prost and Erton Cena were talismans in multiple teams, while Hamilton was now starting in his third adventure, after joining Ferrari in 2025. All this with Lotus in the 1960s.

Verstapen would make something strange if he will spend his totality in F1 within the Red Bull family. Most of the greats look forward to moving forward and prove themselves elsewhere. But given that Verstapen does not have little care for statistics or records, it is unlikely that this type of romance will be liked to him the way other drivers happen. He did not seem to be one of his dreams in the race for a particular team, as Hamilton did with Ferrari, so he wouldn’t see his career in Red Ball a big surprise.

This mentality is also why he does not want to precede forever. To celebrate his 200 -race race last year, Versaben mocked the idea of ​​being in 2002. Aqel. “I just want to see how things will go, and also see the new regulations first, if they are fun or not,” said Versaben.

The next two seasons will be pivotal for the future of Red Ball and Versaben together. (Mark Thompson/Getty Erch)

The level of enjoyment in Verstapen gets it from new cars that arrive in 2026, which I have previously questioned how to drive it, will be a key role in the period he wants in the F1 race. The moment he stops fun, it will stop temporarily. This is also the reason for the responsibility of F1, that is The oathy controversy The relatively innocent F Verstapn bomb in Singapore last September can affect its future. The discussion is unlikely after the FIA ​​Board of Directors, the ruling sports body, announced new guidelines to punish the so -called “misconduct” with fines, points of points, and even banning the race.

This does not mean that the race will not be part of the life of Verstapen whenever he decides to stop. He has long dreamed of entering 24 hours of Loman with his father, Jose, regularly spent weekends in driving GT sports cars only for fun. Its horizons reach beyond F1.

“It is a very old school in many respects: he only wants to drive,” Horner said. “I think some noise and circus around Formula One is what he does not sit comfortably with. As long as he comes out of what he does, he will do that.

“But I think as soon as this enjoyment decreases, he has the strength of personality and personality to say,” Do you know what? I will go and drive GTS next year. It is unique in the sense that Formula One does not specify it. “

There is a big world that exceeds F1. Verstapen understands the necessary sacrifices to compete for victories in F1, and this may become more severe as soon as it becomes a father. It will only be one of two parents on the network, along with the Sauper Nico Hulkenberg driver, which Talk to Athlete About how paternity changes the individual’s view On the race.

But as long as he is still able to fight for tournaments, the motivation will remain as strong as it was. As he said, after his registration is ranked 19 out of 22 races in 2023, the tournament has long been a dedicated conclusion: “Winning is great. Why do I not want to win when you have the opportunity to win?”

As long as the Red Bull can continue to give Versabpen a happy environment, a profitable car and the means to enjoy sports, there is no good reason to believe that he may search elsewhere.

The upper photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Erch