Max Verstappen Not the Key to Driver’s Market, Red Bull Technical Mastermind Will Determine the 2025 Season According to Ex-Ferrari Boss

Everyone believes Max Verstappen is leaving Red Bull after the season to look for a new team. While these are just rumors, his father, Jos Verstappen, has been spotted with Toto Wolff following the Bahrain Grand Prix. Ever since then, there have been many rumors and talks about whether Max Verstappen will go to Mercedes.

With this rumor out in the open, newer ones are branching, with many believing all the teams are after Verstappen. To add to the situation, it’s not only the defending champion who is rumored to be leaving. It’s also the RB20 designer Adrian Newey who is in the mix. Recently, Fernando Alonso came forth to speak about the driver market dependent on Verstappen leaving Red Bull or not. However, Peter Windsor, the ex-Ferrari General Manager, came forth to say otherwise.

Adrian Newey is the deciding factor of the 2025 driver market

In a recent podcast with Cameron F1, Peter Windsor spoke about the state of F1 after the Japanese Grand Prix. The ex-Ferrari boss, spoke about the driver market, saying, “I think the premise of everything being based around Max is wrong.” While this news is shocking, Windsor explained why this is the case.

“I think everything is based around Adrian Newey, and Max will make a decision based on whether Adrian Newey stays at Red Bull or maybe goes somewhere else, which I don’t think he will, and I think he will stay at Red Bull,” explained Windsor.

Speaking of Verstappen’s place in 2025 saying, “So I think Max will stay at Red Bull. That’s my gut feeling, but I may be wrong. But that’s what I think is the case. So forget about Max; it’s all about Adrian. Where Adrian is, Max will be, and vice versa.”

Read More – Christian Horner Addresses Adrian Newey’s Exit After Rumored Talks With Ferrari Reach ‘Advanced Stage’

While Max Verstappen will need to leave his seat to make the driver market get busy again, the person whom the defending champion will follow is his star designer. If Newey were to leave the team, that might prompt Verstappen to follow, and that is a whole new ball game. Let’s take Windsor’s word for the fact that Max Verstappen will remain in Red Bull, but then the question arises- who will drive along with the defending world champion in 2025?

Who is the ideal teammate for Max Verstappen?

After Max Verstappen has burnt out quite a few of his teammates, people are starting to wonder who would be the right partner for him. Following the Japanese Grand Prix, the 3-time world champion was asked who his future teammate would be, and to this, he responded by explaining his criteria.

Verstappen explained, “I actually don’t worry about it. Because in the end, whoever is next to me, ultimately, at the end of the year he must finish behind me in the championship anyway.” The Dutch racer is one of the fastest seen on the grid, and in the RB20, he is unstoppable. His answer might seem cheeky, but ultimately, it’s exactly how he feels. It never really mattered to Verstappen who his teammate was as long as they didn’t get in the way of his goal.

Who do you think will fit in that position next year? Will it continue to be Sergio Perez, or will someone else step in? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Read More – “[Sergio Perez] Will Slack Off”: Helmut Marko Firmly Rejects Mexican’s Multi-Year Red Bull Contract Possibility