F1 insider sets record straight about Max Verstappen culture impact on a new team

Max Verstappen will not unsettle a new Formula 1 team and would instead motivate the staff to reach new heights, reckons former race engineer Rob Smedley.

Verstappen’s future at Red Bull has been a subject of speculation after a difficult start to the season for the Milton Keynes squad, with question marks hanging over whether he would invoke an exit clause in his contract and move to a rival team next year.

As a four-time world champion and arguably one of the greatest drivers of all time, Verstappen’s appeal in F1 is unmatched.

But equally, some people in the paddock are unsure whether having someone of his personality could lead to detrimental effects and disrupt the harmony inside their organisation.

Max Verstappen 'cares about one thing' which benefits F1 employer

Recently, Williams team principal James Vowles advised his former team Mercedes against hiring Verstappen, saying the Brackley-based squad has a “a stable environment and a culture that works” and hiring the Dutchman “may not be the right decision”.

However, ex-Ferrari and Williams race engineer Smedley is more convinced about the positives Verstappen brings to a team, praising the 27-year-old for his speed and his insatiable drive to achieve success.

“I would take him, I would take that talent, that grit, that determination,” he said on the F1 Nation podcast.

“He cares about one thing and that is to go racing. The rest of it, the periphery nonsense that hovers around F1, he has no interest in that whatsoever.

“If you can put somebody that motivated and that focused and talented in your team in any position, whether that is the engineering team, the commercial team or in the cockpit, you want them - you 100 per cent want them.

“Formula 1 is all about talent and getting that talent in play and orchestrating it so that it can work together.

“A talent like Max Verstappen will continue to push the team to do 101 per cent every single day. There are no days off, there is no slacking, there are no days where you can come in and do a little bit less. Every single person in that team has to give 101% and you have to do that 365 days a year.

“When you have motivated people like that in your team, it lifts you to the next level.”

Smedley’s remarks follow his comment that Mercedes should absolutely hand George Russell a new contract for 2026, unless Verstappen becomes available on the market.

Mercedes and Aston Martin are expected to be most likely destinations for the 27-year-old should he decide to end his relationship with Red Bull with three years left on his contract.