Insiders believe that Verstappen will '100%' remain with Red Bull.
"He is capable of competing against the two McLaren drivers."
Two individuals with insider knowledge of Formula 1 believe that the likelihood of Red Bull losing Max Verstappen to another team next year has diminished. Team advisor and Verstappen's longstanding mentor, Dr. Helmut Marko, acknowledged after the quadruple world champion's victory from pole at Imola that it was an "important" result. Experienced F1 journalist Felix Gorner from German broadcaster RTL stated in his latest column for sport.de: "Max Verstappen will definitely race for Red Bull next year. He has now demonstrated that he can compete with the two McLaren drivers," he added.
The speculation surrounding Verstappen potentially activating a performance-related exit clause during the summer break has decreased, as has the discussion regarding the job security of team principal Christian Horner. "I don’t know who started that nonsense," Marko told Osterreich newspaper. "But everything has changed now anyway."
Gorner concurs: "Verstappen has secured Christian Horner’s position. He was facing a lot of pressure. Does the update work? It works. Now Horner can rest easy again as the head of Red Bull."
Additionally, former F1 driver Christijan Albers, who hails from the same country as Verstappen, believes that neither Mercedes nor Aston Martin can provide the same conditions that Verstappen currently enjoys at Red Bull. For example, Verstappen went directly from Miami to a high-speed test in a GT3 car at the challenging Nordschleife. "Max is a dedicated racing driver who relishes getting behind the wheel of a GT car, even on weekends without Formula 1," Marko said. "It enhances his experience, so we will never prevent him from doing that."
On another note, Verstappen and Lance Stroll were the only race drivers absent on Wednesday from a private screening in Monaco of the new Brad Pitt film ’F1’. During the screening, the Red Bull driver was live streaming from his nearby apartment under the name ’Franz Hermann69’ on his racing simulator. Albers remarked to De Telegraaf: "There’s no other team where Max could enjoy as much freedom as he does at Red Bull. Essentially, he has complete autonomy. Everyone adores him. He doesn’t feel the pressure from the second driver, as he consistently outpaces everyone else. It's simply very relaxed for him at Red Bull," added the former Minardi driver.
Other articles
Tsunoda: I am far from understanding the limits of the RB21's capabilities
On Thursday in Monaco, Yuki Tsunoda recalled his accident in qualifying for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. The Red Bull Racing driver explained the departure off the track by saying that he still does not fully understand the RB21 car, and how changing the settings affects its behavior.
Piastri: The result depends on the qualification by 90%.
On Thursday in Monaco, Oscar Piastri spoke about the poor start at Imola and the crucial role of qualifying this weekend.…
Verstappen and Stroll explain why they didn't go to the movie
Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll missed the pre-premiere screening of the Hollywood film F1. On Thursday, the Red Bull Racing and Aston Martin racers explained why they did not go to the cinema with everyone.
Charles Leclair: We'll get a lot of answers on the track.
In theory, the slow turns of the Monaco highway are not suitable for the SF-25 car. However, Ferrari driver Charles Leclair hopes that the features of the urban track will help hide the shortcomings of the car, and this weekend the team will compete for a better result.
Vowles suggests that Ferrari erred regarding Hamilton.
Formula 1 | James Vowles is uncertain if Ferrari's choice to enlist Lewis Hamilton was a misstep. In the end, the outcome has been favorable for Vowles, who (…)
Albon: It's not a fact that two pit stops will change the nature of the race.
Alex Albon, recalling last race weekend at Imola, believes that his 5th result for the entire Williams team was a sign of a change for the better. He also talked about the specifics of tactics on the Monaco circuit...
Insiders believe that Verstappen will '100%' remain with Red Bull.
Formula 1 | Two insiders in Formula 1 believe that the likelihood of Red Bull losing Max Verstappen to a competing team next year has diminished. According to the team advisor - and (…)