McLaren F1 Legend Suspects Max Verstappen Will Turn His Back on Red Bull – Here’s Why

Changing teams in F1 is no big deal. Drivers often switch and join rival teams for many reasons. From Michael Schumacher to Lewis Hamilton, they’ve all changed and signed for their rivals and won the championship in the process. McLaren double world champion believes Max Verstappen will also follow the same path.

One of the few drivers to win the world championships back to back, McLaren legend Mika Hakkinen explains why Max Verstappen will find pastures new at some point in his career. The Dutch Lion’s current Red Bull deal expires in 2028 after he extended his contract.

Mika Hakkinen stated that the teams often undergo an overhaul after a certain period. Furthermore, many important people tend to leave the constructors due to various factors. This can affect the quality of the car in the process. Additionally, these reasons can make a driver wonder about their future.

Hakkinen said in his Unibet video column, “That is a completely different style of life. It is great that Verstappen signs such a long-term contract, but there is always the risk that when important people leave the car is no longer performing to the driver’s expectations.”

The Finn further added, “I don’t think Max Verstappen will stay with Red Bull for the rest of his career. That’s just my opinion. But historically, drivers have often switched teams for various reasons, even if they had multiple titles with one specific team. That could be financial reasons, or simply because they were ready for a new environment.”

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Verstappen, at 25, has already won 2 titles and he’ll be looking to add to them. Red Bull has provided Max with a championship-winning car for 2 straight years. However, it is important to know that Mercedes dominated the grid for 8 years.

Max Verstappen could retire after running down his Red Bull deal in 2028

Jos Verstappen, Max’s father, believes that Max could evaluate his future once his Red Bull deal ends in 2028. The Red Bull driver has already been racing in F1 since he was 17 years old. He is also the youngest F1 race winner in history, eclipsing the previous record holder Sebastian Vettel.

When asked about what will happen once Max’s current deal expires, Jos said, “We will take stock again in 2028. It’s not like he’s chasing records.”

He further added, “Every now and then you really need that rest. Max can be completely ‘off’. After the season or during the summer break, he doesn’t even want to talk about Formula 1 anymore. In my time we had a maximum of 18 races. Now there are 22 and next year there are 24. You can also have too much.”

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Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher would possibly not have won their titles if they didn’t switch teams in their career. Mika Hakkinen believes Max Verstappen will follow the same suit. Do you agree with the Flying Finn?