F1 legends weigh in on Max Verstappen's Red Bull future
· Yahoo Sports
Max Verstappen's future at Red Bull remains a popular topic as the Dutchman heads into the summer break sixth in the drivers' standings, 110 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
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With Red Bull dealing with the added challenge of its new engine programme this season, and some high-profile exits over recent years, a panel of Formula 1 legends has weighed in on whether they believe the four-time champion will stay at the Milton Keynes outfit or seek an exit.
While the 28-year-old has been linked with potential moves to Mercedes and McLaren, he has remained tight-lipped about his future. It is understood that he is now able to activate an exit clause in his contract if he chooses to, as he sits outside the top two in the drivers' championship.
Former McLaren driver Juan Pablo Montoya firmly believes Verstappen's recent team radio frustrations are a tactic to put pressure on the team, rather than evidence that he will leave. "I don’t think Max wants to leave Red Bull. You’re in one of the best F1 teams, probably the best team in the last 20 years, with Mercedes," he told F1.com.
"You’re in the right place. Yes, it’s changed because a lot of people have left, but they’re still performing. Last year, they nearly came back and won the championship. I think he wants to see that from the team, and it’s just about putting pressure on them."
Two-time champion Emerson Fittipaldi hopes that Verstappen will choose to stay at Red Bull, but argued that if he did decide to leave, it would cause chaos in the driver market.
"It’s always difficult to give an opinion on what’s going on. I don’t know his relationship. I don’t know what they are doing for next year. Max is an incredible talent," the Brazilian explained.
"He carries his car on his back. I think he has a big loyalty to the team, and I like that. I always liked to run many years on a team, as much as I could go. I think he has this loyalty.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing"But possibly, he can leave. If that happened, it would be musical chairs. It’s going to move everybody. I think this part of F1 is exciting. The fans, 'Who’s going to be [there]? Where are they going?' It’s part of the sport."
For former Ferrari driver Stefan Johansson, Verstappen's frustration is justified. "I can understand the frustration. If you don’t have the car, you’re not going to win," he said. "There’s never been a world champion that didn’t have the best car.
"That’s the reality of it. He’s still creating miracles most of the time, and he’s still unbelievably good, obviously. I’m sure there's no shortage of options [for him]! I think every team would give their right arm to have him in the car."
Gerhard Berger urged Verstappen to be patient with Red Bull as it works through the bumps in the power unit project, predicting that the team will be very competitive again in six to 12 months.
"I’m a fan of Max. I think he’s an outstanding driver," Berger explained. "When I look and see Red Bull, they built a brand-new engine. Yes, they got people from other companies, but to compete with the experience of Mercedes or Ferrari, and being competitive already in the first year of doing your own engine, it’s actually quite impressive.
"That they have some reliability failures at the moment, it’s not nice, especially when it’s wings, but the others also have reliability issues. I think if Max continues to work quietly with the team, and they get some more good people on board, I would say in six to 12 months, I see them again being very, very competitive."
Three-time grand prix winner Thierry Boutsen questioned how long his success would last at another team if he did decide to leave. "It’s very difficult to say. It’s maybe a good moment to move, but maybe it’s a bad moment to move. It’s his decision, how he feels," he said.
"The way you feel inside the team is very important. Moving to a new team, for sure, he will feel good, he will have the support of the team. But how long is that going to last? Is that going to last as long as it lasted with Red Bull? I don’t know.
"I cannot advise him – he does what he wants to do. I’d like to see what he does. It will be very interesting for himself, for the rest of F1, and for the rest of the world, I would say. He’s always been in a good position there, and he’s been winning races. He almost won the championship last year, and if he didn’t have the problems in Austria and Britain [this season], it would look much different. So, he’s not far off."
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