Claim Max Verstappen will be ‘talking to four teams’ amid future uncertainty

Max Verstappen will be talking to as many as four F1 teams about a move for 2026 and beyond, according to FIA steward Derek Warwick.

The four-time world champion is under contract with Red Bull until 2028 but his long-term future has been the subject of intense speculation and debate following the internal turbulence and power struggle which erupted within the team last year.

Verstappen has been persistently linked with Mercedes and Aston Martin in recent months but Warwick believes the Dutchman will also be having discussions with McLaren and Ferrari as he weighs up his future options.

“Well obviously he's talking to every team, but when you say every team, that's only really McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, and maybe Aston Martin,” Warwick told Plejmo.

“Aston would be a big gamble, but they do have Adrian Newey there. Mercedes will always be there or thereabouts, although they've had a lean period for them these last three years.

“If I was Mercedes, would I want to get rid of George or Kimi? I think the answer to that is no, but the trouble is when you've got arguably the fastest driver in Formula One knocking on your door, I think he can open most doors.

“I think the big, big paycheck would come from Aston Martin if that's what he's interested in.

“I think at the end of the day he'll stay at Red Bull.”

What about Verstappen’s exit clause?

Verstappen reportedly has an exit clause inserted into his current deal which will close as long as he is within the top four of the F1 world championship by the end of the Austrian Grand Prix.

He currently lies third in the championship on 137 points and is only 26 points clear of Mercedes’ George Russell, who Verstappen controversially clashed with in Barcelona last time out, leading to his costly penalty. 

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc sits fifth, 43 points behind Verstappen, meaning there is a slim chance Verstappen could be overtaken if he has bad weekends in Canada and Austria and his rivals score big.

Verstappen’s previous exit clause that allowed him to leave if Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko exited the team is no longer in place.

Verstappen has repeatedly stressed that he is happy at Red Bull and has no intention to leave, despite his bid to win a fifth consecutive world title looking like a tough ask this year amid the team’s performance troubles.