Amid doubts surrounding the team and declining results, a single question could push Verstappen to reconsider his path in F1. The question dominating F1 circles concerns Verstappen’s future: will he stay at Red Bull if he no longer has a car capable of winning the title?
Max Verstappen is at the center of a technical and managerial storm that risks jeopardizing his continued presence at the Austrian team, despite a contract in place until 2028.
According to Ralf Schumacher, the key issue boils down to one essential question: does Verstappen still have the patience to wait for a winning Red Bull?
Is his patience gone?
After years of unchallenged dominance with ground-effect cars, Red Bull is clearly in decline. The RB20 had already shown signs of weakness in the second half of last season, and the situation hasn’t improved in 2025: nine races in, the team is only fourth in the Constructors’ standings, and despite giving his all, Max Verstappen trails Oscar Piastri by 49 points.
Ralf Schumacher has not held back in his criticism, pointing fingers at Pierre Wache’s technical leadership and Christian Horner’s management. The team atmosphere is described as “not good,” and the issue, according to the former driver, goes deeper than a few poor race weekends: Red Bull seems to no longer understand its own car.
“Red Bull wants Max to stay, and Max obviously wants a competitive car, but right now, that’s not guaranteed,” Ralf Schumacher said.
“They’ve tried many things, but nothing has worked. Now the team needs to find new people, but with Christian Horner in charge, the atmosphere is far from ideal. People who worked there in the past don’t want to return if he’s still leading. The team needs to be completely rethought, and that takes time. The question is whether Verstappen has the patience.”
The three-time world champion is achieving results that exceed the car’s capabilities, but how long can he tolerate a team that is unable to provide him with a competitive machine? If the answer to the patience question turns out to be negative, the paddock could soon witness a dramatic twist.
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