Robert Doornbos expects Max Verstappen to end months of speculation over his Formula 1 future by publicly confirming at the Dutch Grand Prix that he intends to remain with Red Bull through the end of his current contract in 2028. The former Formula 1 driver believes the alternative options that once appeared available to the four-time world champion have now largely disappeared.
Max Verstappen has been repeatedly linked with Mercedes during the 2026 season, with speculation intensified by his contact with Toto Wolff during the summer. McLaren has also recently been mentioned as a possible future destination, but Doornbos believes neither route now represents a realistic immediate alternative to staying at Red Bull.
Doornbos predicts Max Verstappen Red Bull announcement at Zandvoort
Speaking on the Pit Talk podcast, Robert Doornbos suggested that Max Verstappen’s home Grand Prix will provide the ideal stage to clarify his future.
“In the next month, we will have some news,” Robert Doornbos said. “In all probability, Max Verstappen’s future will be announced at Zandvoort. It will be the last Dutch Grand Prix.”
The 2026 Dutch Grand Prix, scheduled for 21-23 August, will indeed be Formula 1’s final race at Zandvoort under the current agreement, adding extra significance to an already emotional weekend for Max Verstappen and his home supporters.
Doornbos believes a public commitment would also provide Red Bull with important stability as the team starts looking further ahead.
“For Red Bull, it would be an important moment to be able to confirm Max until 2028,” he continued. “It is the contract he has already signed. It is fair to the team to say it publicly to the media and to Red Bull: I will stay with you, so we can focus on 2027.”
Max Verstappen remains officially contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2028, although the existence of performance-related provisions has fuelled months of speculation. His manager Raymond Vermeulen has also previously addressed the possibility of using Verstappen’s Red Bull exit clause before the agreement reaches its scheduled conclusion.
Mercedes and McLaren options have faded, says Doornbos
According to Robert Doornbos, the immediate opportunity for Max Verstappen to change teams has now passed.
“He has to stay at Red Bull,” Doornbos said. “The alternatives have faded.”
Mercedes had long appeared to be the most credible option. Toto Wolff has made no secret in previous seasons of his admiration for Max Verstappen, while the two have again been seen together during the summer break in Sardinia. Their latest meeting inevitably reignited speculation about a possible Mercedes move.
Doornbos, however, believes Kimi Antonelli’s rapid rise has fundamentally altered Mercedes’ need for Max Verstappen.
“I don’t think Mercedes will push for Max again in the way they have in the past,” he said. “After all, they already have the next superstar in-house.”
Doornbos warns against Verstappen-Antonelli Mercedes pairing
Pairing Max Verstappen with Kimi Antonelli would create one of the strongest driver line-ups imaginable, but Robert Doornbos does not believe it would necessarily benefit Mercedes from a sporting perspective.
“From a marketing point of view it would be fantastic, but from a sporting point of view I think it would be a disaster to have those two drivers in the same team,” he explained.
“If George continues to perform below expectations and that becomes a problem, they can simply sign another second driver. At that point, you no longer need to chase the signature of a four-time world champion.”
Kimi Antonelli’s performances provide an obvious reason for that assessment. The Italian leads the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship after the first 11 rounds, while George Russell remains firmly among the leading contenders.
The situation has helped reshape the wider 2027 Formula 1 driver market. Mercedes now has less need to make a disruptive move for Max Verstappen than it might have had when the competitive potential of the W17 and Kimi Antonelli remained unknown.
Helmut Marko hopes Max Verstappen stays with Red Bull
Helmut Marko has also expressed his desire to see Max Verstappen remain with Red Bull, although he acknowledged that the team’s current situation is far from ideal.
“I would give the team a passing grade,” Helmut Marko said. “We are not always fast. We are not consistently competitive. In addition, the cooperation between Max and his engineers does not seem to be working in the best possible way.”
Those weaknesses leave Helmut Marko pessimistic about Red Bull’s chances of mounting a serious comeback in the 2026 championship.
“The competition from McLaren and Ferrari is too strong. The car is too unstable. I certainly would not dare bet on it.”
Asked directly about Max Verstappen’s future, however, Helmut Marko admitted that he could offer no certainty.
“I really, sincerely hope that he stays.”
Zandvoort could bring clarity to Max Verstappen’s future
Robert Doornbos’s prediction remains just that: a prediction. Max Verstappen and Red Bull have not announced a new agreement or formally confirmed that the Dutchman has surrendered any contractual options that could allow him to leave before 2028.
Nevertheless, the competitive landscape has changed considerably. Kimi Antonelli’s emergence has reduced the urgency for Mercedes to pursue another superstar, while McLaren already has an established pairing in Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. At Red Bull, by contrast, Max Verstappen remains the undisputed focal point of the project.
That makes staying through 2028 increasingly plausible, even if questions remain about whether Red Bull can provide a car capable of returning him to the championship fight. If Robert Doornbos is correct, Formula 1 may not have to wait much longer for the answer, with the final Dutch Grand Prix potentially becoming the stage on which Max Verstappen finally brings months of speculation to an end.
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