Max Verstappen is extremely loyal to Red Bull Racing after everything they’ve done for him during his racing career.
When Max Verstappen was rapidly progressing through the ranks in karting and single-seaters, it was Red Bull that backed him under the stewardship of Helmut Marko.
Mercedes were keen to sign the Dutchman as a youngster, but missed out as Verstappen’s camp believed that Red Bull offered him a far smoother passage to Formula 1.
That came true in 2015 when Verstappen made his debut alongside Carlos Sainz at Toro Rosso, and just over a year later, he was a Grand Prix winner with the senior team.
Position Drivers’ Championship PointsPts 1 234 2 226 3 165 4 147 5 119 6 103 7 63 8 46 9 37 10 23
Verstappen has gone on to win four drivers’ championships, but that period of domination is now coming to an end.
Christian Horner lost his job at Red Bull as a result, and the instability has created fresh doubts about the 27-year-old’s future.
Mercedes are very keen to sign Verstappen, but Ralf Schumacher thinks something has changed within the team since Horner’s exit that will offer their fans hope that he might not move to the Silver Arrows this winter.
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Photo by Jure Makovec/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesRed Bull make ‘extremely good move’ that leaves Max Verstappen ‘very open’ to staying in 2026
Schumacher was speaking about Verstappen’s future on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast and explained: “I think Red Bull made an extremely good move.
“In this case, Oliver Mintzlaff and [Mark] Mateschitz by now putting Mekies in this position.
“That did something for the team. Within a short period of time, one hears that the mood is completely different, the approach is different, and one must not forget that Max Verstappen has never been in a different team in his career.
“He has everything to thank Red Bull for. So, he’s not making it easy for himself, and maybe he doesn’t even really want to leave.
“I can imagine, if everything is fine here, why should he leave? I don’t think that’s quite what he wanted.
“It just led to the car not working as well as it should. There were internal problems with politics, and suddenly the mood wasn’t so good.
“So, from that point of view, I think it’s actually very, very open again. Such a development can happen quickly, and this feel-good factor for a driver is important. And this team is completely behind him.”
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Ralf Schumacher thinks Mercedes engine could be pivotal to Max Verstappen’s future
Next season’s changing ruleset in Formula 1 is one of the main reasons why Verstappen has yet to commit his future to any team.
Red Bull need to prove to Verstappen that they will be competitive next season with brand new engine partners, Ford.
TEAMENGINERed BullRed Bull Powertrains (in partnership with Ford)FerrariFerrariMcLarenMercedesMercedesMercedesAston MartinHondaRacing BullsRed Bull Powertrains (in partnership with Ford)HaasFerrariWilliamsMercedesAlpineMercedesAudiAudiCadillacFerrariF1 engine suppliers for the 2026 season
Schumacher shared what he’s heard about next year’s power unit and believes the noises coming out of the Milton Keynes-based team are starting to improve: “If you think about Mercedes, with Russell, I couldn’t imagine that he would be his first choice as a teammate if it were up to him.
“So, from that point of view, we’ll just have to wait and see. Then, it was said that Mercedes is the best engine.
“Well, if you listen a little bit, you suddenly realise, well, Ford is doing quite well. And by the way, except for Honda, all electric batteries will use the same concept.
“So, I’m also curious about Honda; they’re going in a different direction and that could be interesting again, but I think Max Verstappen is still keeping his options open.”
Martin Brundle was impressed when he visited Red Bull Powertrains, but a state-of-the-art facility doesn’t necessarily guarantee results.
Schumacher believes Verstappen wants to stay at Red Bull; it’s simply up to their senior hierarchy to prove it’s the right decision.