Former racer believes Christian Horner situation’s domino effect to send Max Verstappen to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes

Since early February, Christian Horner has found himself at the centre of controversies that have unavoidably tarnished the reputation of Red Bull as well. Amidst the turmoil, Horner’s decision to remain on the team has infuriated Max Verstappen’s father as well, who views his actions as purely self-serving.

Jos Verstappen was also recently seen with Toto Wolff, Mercedes’s team principal, raising curiosity among spectators regarding Verstappen’s future with Red Bull.

Former racer makes bold Max Verstappen exit claim

The team principal of Red Bull has been facing outrageous criticism due to his indecisiveness and perceived “selfish” behaviour, actions that may ultimately lead to the breakdown of the entire team one day. Despite being proven innocent, some of the documents and screenshots regarding the case were leaked, which has questioned Horner’s actions and nature yet again throughout the social media platforms.

Max Verstappen has singlehandedly improved the team’s performance drastically since his debut at Red Bull, even challenging the seven-time World Champion, Lewis Hamilton, consistently during racing. However, the Dutch driver’s father believes that the future of his son’s career is at risk due to the uncertainty of Red Bull’s team members and strategic decisions.

As a result, several fans were already linking the 26-year-old as Mercedes’s main driver in the upcoming years. The rumours were further fueled as Jos Verstappen was spotted with Toto Wolff, the team boss of Mercedes. This was also not the conclusion, as Gerhard Berger, a former racer, made a bold statement, supporting the speculations, by saying, “As things stand now, Horner is staying, Helmut Marko and Adrian Newey are leaving, and Max is going to Mercedes.”

Max Verstappen exit clause comes to light

Last year, the reigning three-time World Champion Max Verstappen was able to dominate a season completely by winning 19 out of 22 races, marking him as one of the most legendary drivers in Formula One history. This year, too, started auspiciously for the Red Bull driver, with him clinching an incredible victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

However, the Dutchman has been the centre of speculation for the past few weeks due to an exceptional clause in his contract with Red Bull that doesn’t reach its limit until the 2028 season. In light of Christian Horner’s situation, many are discussing Verstappen’s potential departure from the team before the conclusion of the 2028 campaign.

The primary reason for this was a condition in Verstappen’s contract, which states that he cannot depart from the team as long as Helmut Marko remains as the advisor. The condition stems from the strong bond between the duo. Although the team advisor has strictly made it clear that he will not interfere in the way of the Dutchman’s career, this automatically means that Verstappen has the option to part ways with Red Bull anytime now.

Do you think Verstappen will switch his team in the next few seasons? Let us know about your opinions in the comment section below.