Max Verstappen and Red Bull ‘drifting apart’ after ‘breakdown in trust’ claim from former F1 winner

Max Verstappen and Red Bull are said to be “drifting further apart” after a “breakdown in trust”, a former Formula 1 race-winner has claimed. 

Speculation surrounding Verstappen’s F1 future has ramped up in recent week, after it emerged the four-time world champion’s management had held “preliminary talks” with McLaren about a potential future deal. 

Rumours of a divorce were only fuelled further after Verstappen dramatically crashed out of the British Grand Prix after suffering a rear-wing failure for the second time in as many race weekends. 

A furious Verstappen labelled Red Bull’s car as being “super-dangerous”, before his management were spotted holding talks with team principal Laurent Mekies in the immediate aftermath of the race. 

Verstappen is believed to be in a position where he can trigger an exit clause in order to leave Red Bull and join a rival team for next season, and former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher believes a split is looking more likely than ever. 

“The biggest topic this weekend was of course Red Bull,” Schumacher said. 

“With regard to Max Verstappen, I have the feeling that the rumours are getting stronger and stronger. There is a lot of talk in the paddock: it seems as though the relationship, the proverbial curtain between the parties, has torn quite significantly.

“According to the stories I have heard, Red Bull’s management left early. There are also reports that they held it against Verstappen that, at the Red Bull Ring, when everyone [Red Bull management] was present, he did not make it clear that he would not be activating his escape clause.”

Disagreements between Verstappen and Red Bull are said to have happened and there are even claims in Dutch media that the team is withholding sensitive information from Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase now that his switch to McLaren for 2028 has been confirmed. 

“I think that after this weekend, in which Max retired once again, another problem has become clearer,” Schumacher continued. 

“We still remember the interview in which he said there was a major problem with the engine and that the battery was empty, causing him to lose so much time in the final sector.

“Internally, it seems that Max has different ideas about how and when energy should be used and what set-up the car requires. The team now appears to be insisting that certain decisions are carried out their way. 

“So there is disagreement there too, and that naturally creates a breakdown in trust between driver and team.

“At the moment, the situation seems to be drifting further and further apart. [Gianpiero] Lambiase will be leaving the team and also no longer appears to have the same influence he once did. An awful lot is happening right now.”

Schumacher would not be surprised to see Verstappen follow Lambiase to McLaren, potentially as part of a driver swap that could see Oscar Piastri go the other way and take his seat at Red Bull. 

“I believe it is precisely that exit clause which is causing Red Bull to look around,” he added. “There are already rumours about Oscar Piastri, for example, who is said to be unhappy at McLaren. I have heard that after Monza he lost confidence in McLaren.

“On the other hand, there are also reports that McLaren are ready to put a new offer to Piastri. The problem is that he still has a running contract and the shareholders, the group from Bahrain, probably want to stick to those arrangements because it is in their interest to do so.

“But if a solution could be found, perhaps in the form of some kind of swap, then that is certainly not inconceivable.”