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David Coulthard has warned Max Verstappen that no Formula 1 team will allow him to ‘be himself’ like Red Bull do.
Verstappen, 28, has been with Red Bull since being promoted from Toro Rosso back in 2016.
Since then, countless records have been broken by the Dutchman as he became a four-time world champion with the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
However, Verstappen’s dominance came to an end in 2025, with Lando Norris pipping him to the world title by two points.
In recent months, Verstappen has been trying out different forms of racing, including taking part in the Nurburgring 24 Hours event last weekend, where an ABS problem denied his team victory.
Do you want to see Max Verstappen attempt the 24 Hours of Nurburging again?
Team Verstappen finished 38th after a driveshaft issue cost them the lead!
David Coulthard warns Max Verstappen that no other F1 team would let him ‘be himself’
Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast, ex-F1 star Coulthard warned that Verstappen will not be allowed to ‘be himself’ if he decides to leave Red Bull.
The 55-year-old, who raced for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull during his F1 career, added that he can see Verstappen staying with his current team ‘for the rest of his career’.
Coulthard explained: “What it cements in my mind is the very reason if we go back a couple of podcasts ago, where we were sort of speculating where Max, what would he do, what’s his future?
“You’ve crystallised in my mind, Max will not be going anywhere because there’s no other Formula 1 team that would allow him to be Max.
“McLaren wouldn’t be able to do it. Ferrari wouldn’t be able to do it. Mercedes wouldn’t be able to do it despite the fact that he was driving a Mercedes. Just because of the investment that goes into the individual driver.
“But, Red Bull do in fairness and it is in the spirit of Mr Mateschitz, the founder of Red Bull. I remember when I first met him before signing to drive for the team, I asked him, ‘What do you expect of me?’.
“And he said, ‘Be yourself’, Max is being himself. That’s why we will cut the speculation of a couple of weeks ago right now. Max is staying with Red Bull for the rest of his career.”
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So far in 2026, Verstappen has publicly expressed his discontent over F1’s new regulations, having compared them to playing ‘Mario Kart’.
Meanwhile, the 28-year-old has also labelled his Red Bull car as ‘undriveable’ after a tough start to the campaign.
However, things improved in Miami, with the Red Bull upgrades allowing Verstappen to challenge at the front of the grid, and he ended up finishing the Grand Prix in fifth place.
Looking ahead, Verstappen’s future indeed remains uncertain. It was recently reported that McLaren CEO Zak Brown has escalated his interest in Verstappen.
One thing can be said, though, Verstappen will have plenty of suitors if he does decide to call time on his Red Bull career.
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