The relationship between Max Verstappen and Red Bull is no longer as strong as it was last season. Internal tensions at the start of the season, the departure of Adrian Newey, the car’s decline in performance, and issues with the FIA could push the Dutch driver to leave Milton Keynes sooner than expected. An unexpected departure from Max could lead Red Bull to consider poaching George Russell from Mercedes, as suggested by Helmut Marko.
Christian Horner, Red Bull’s team principal, mentioned this possibility during last month’s Singapore Grand Prix. George Russell’s contract with Mercedes will expire at the end of the next season, and Christian Horner indicated that he and his team might consider making an offer for the British driver.
“We now have some leeway, but we just want to take our time to evaluate what the options are for the future. We’re not afraid to look beyond the usual candidates. George Russell is out of contract at the end of next year, and it would be foolish not to consider him.” – the Red Bull team principal pointed out.
It is therefore not entirely out of the question that Red Bull could say goodbye to both current drivers, and there has been much speculation about the future of both in recent months. While Verstappen’s performance has never been in doubt, having achieved top results even after the car’s decline, the same cannot be said for Sergio Perez, whose constant absence from the top ten has allowed McLaren to easily take the lead in the Constructors’ Championship.
Sergio Perez is even at risk of being replaced immediately. Earlier in the season, he narrowly avoided the axe, despite having signed a new contract amid a series of lackluster performances, and the Mexican’s situation remains open. It’s worth noting that Red Bull is not new to making such decisions, having let drivers go mid-season, as seen with Daniel Ricciardo this year and Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon in the past.
Russell would thus represent a valid alternative for Red Bull, even to replace Perez. Helmut Marko acknowledged the remarkable performances of the British driver this season but indicated that Red Bull would prioritize its own drivers before seriously considering an offer for the Mercedes driver.
“George Russell is on par with Hamilton in qualifying, if not faster, but Russell is affiliated with Mercedes-Benz, and right now, we’re focusing on our juniors. We’ll see what our juniors can do, or even Yuki Tsunoda. He can also be considered a junior, but how does he compare to [Liam] Lawson?”
Horner hinted that Red Bull might consider pairing one of its young drivers with Verstappen if the opportunity arises and added, “The Red Bull system demands performance and results. Naturally, Max is delivering results. This year, Checo has underperformed, but last year he did a good job finishing second and winning the Constructors’ Championship.”
“We need to look further ahead; we have some great talents. We have Liam Lawson waiting in the wings. We’re not entirely sure when looking at drivers like Franco Colapinto, Oliver Bearman, and Kimi Antonelli: are they at that level? Time will tell. We have Isack Hadjar in Formula 2, who was leading the championship not long ago. We have a very promising talent in F3, Arvin Lindblad. Our junior program is very rich.”
The underlying problem for Red Bull is that they have a large number of drivers in their Academy, but many of them are excluded due to inappropriate behavior or simply aren’t strong enough to deserve a seat in F1. The Austrian team then has to choose who among them is ready to step up to a Red Bull or a Racing Bulls seat. If Max were to leave the team, they would face the issue that none of their drivers would be ready to be the lead driver on whom the team would base car updates and projects. In this realm of possibilities, Russell could be their “lifesaver.” You might be wondering in what sense? Russell is an experienced driver; he has managed to hold his own against Lewis Hamilton and could assist engineers in development. Alongside him, Red Bull could place an emerging driver or someone who has gained experience in Racing Bulls.
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