Max Verstappen’s future in F1 is at the forefront during this second long break of the season, awaiting the return to the track in Austin, Texas, for what will be the first act of the final rush of a 2024 racing campaign that is much more open than expected. The three-time world champion is called to defend his throne from the threat of British driver Lando Norris, who is 51 points behind with six races left, including three Sprint Races and six points for the fastest lap. This is a significant lead, but it can diminish in the blink of an eye or increase definitively when considering things from the opposite perspective.
Red Bull’s season has not been as positive as expected so far. This is in light of the dominance that the Milton Keynes team displayed during the last two seasons and in the early races of this year. Then came the collapse after the issues involving team principal Christian Horner, which inevitably reflected in on-track performances with the sudden loss of performance from the RB20, likely compounded by Newey’s departure to Aston Martin, where he will start working next March.
Verstappen’s situation is also very borderline at the moment: the Dutchman only wants to win. He is not at all interested in the rest of the chatter. Max has seen his father, Jos, go against Red Bull made in Christian Horner, probably because he wanted to push him out of the Austrian/Thai company after the scandal that hit it earlier this year (perhaps out of “revenge”?). From there, a series of situations have involved Helmut Marko, who is now in a temporary peace with the English team principal, perhaps just to keep the Dutch champion as calm as possible.
F1, Toto Wolff does not bet on Max Verstappen
Verstappen will not be in F1 for much longer; he has reiterated this several times himself. Recently, considering the disputes with the International Federation regarding the use of inappropriate language, his desire seems to be slightly waning every time a situation like that in Singapore occurs, which was in clear conflict with the FIA. Moreover, Max has emphasized that the next decision regarding his career will also be the last, without obviously specifying whether it will be a renewal with Red Bull or a transfer to another team.
There are two potential teams for the current leader of the drivers’ championship. We refer to Mercedes and Aston Martin. It is no mystery that these two teams have long had their eyes on the three-time world champion, taking advantage of the far from idyllic atmosphere currently in Red Bull. The Silverstone team, after taking Adrian Newey and being the next reference team for Honda regarding the power unit situation, would like to recreate the winning trio by also bringing in Verstappen, a situation that is anything but far-fetched.
On the other hand, the team based in Brackley seems to have somewhat pulled back in the fight to secure one of the strongest drivers in the entire history of F1. Toto Wolff himself has never hidden his desire to at least talk to the current world number one, but for a few weeks, he seems to have changed his tune, especially since the announcement of Kimi Antonelli and the negotiations for a possible renewal of George Russell effectively close the factory doors on Verstappen. The Austrian does not intend to flirt with a driver when he already has two under contract, at least not now:
“As I have said in the past, I share the same vision as Max: you have to have confidence in your drivers and your team. You must give them all the necessary support to succeed in F1. Only when things are really going badly do you consider other options. For me, it’s like seeking external distractions while you are trying to maintain a relationship. It doesn’t work, I don’t do it. Only if I truly wanted to change would I start a real negotiation. The same goes for Verstappen. We are quite aligned in our values on this point.”
For this reason, Mercedes seems to be getting further away, even though from 2026 onwards, the German team appears to be preparing in the best way to be at the top of the starting line, while in Aston Martin and Red Bull, doubts clearly arise given the significant changes and movements in recent months. What will Max’s choice be? And is Toto Wolff serious? 2025 will be decisive for clearer answers, especially since Antonelli needs to adapt to F1, and Russell needs to earn a contract renewal that is far from guaranteed. The games are open…
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