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Max Verstappen is likely to be at the centre of the Formula 1 driver market speculation in 2026 unless Red Bull build another unstoppable car.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies knows exactly what he needs to do to keep Max Verstappen happy.
Verstappen would love nothing more than to secure his fifth world championship in a similar manner to how he won the 2023 title.
The upcoming regulation changes give Red Bull the opportunity to return to that level of dominance, but there’s a serious risk that another team will end up in that position instead.
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Verstappen has been linked with Mercedes for years, but any team that produces the fastest car on the grid next year will suddenly be in the 28-year-old’s sights.
Former Haas team boss Guenther Steiner has made a prediction about Verstappen’s future beyond 2025, and made a very apt comparison to Aston Martin star Fernando Alonso.
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Guenther Steiner thinks Max Verstappen’s Red Bull is ‘open’ enough for him to leave
Steiner was speaking about the four-time world champion on The Red Flags Podcast.
He was asked about Verstappen’s legacy if he’s not in a championship-winning car during the next era of Formula 1, and he said: “I think that Max will be in the right car.
“So, he will continue with the success. I think he’s very smart and surrounded by smart people.
“I think his contract is open, and whoever has got the leading car wants Max Verstappen, and they will make it happen.
“And I think he can make it happen on his side with the contract he’s got.
“So, I think he already planned for that, that he’s not making a move like a Fernando Alonso.
“I mean, Fernando was very good at picking the wrong car all the time.
“Fernando, for me, was a talent in that league, but he just couldn’t do it because he always put himself in the wrong car. But I think Max will not make that mistake because between Jos, his father and Raymond Vermeulen, they will make sure that they get him in the right car.
“And that for also his confidence, the people he’s got around. So I don’t think we have to worry about that. Max will be in the best, and if not the second-best car.”
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Max Verstappen’s F1 future is in his hands due to Red Bull contract clause
No driver in the Formula 1 paddock has as much power as Verstappen when it comes to his relationship with his team.
Yuki Tsunoda proved last season how difficult to drive Red Bull’s cars are and without the Dutchman, they would have finished firmly in mid-table in the constructors’ championship.
Verstappen has a contract clause in his Red Bull deal that would allow him to leave at the end of the 2026 campaign if he’s not in the top two in the championship by the summer break.
That will have almost every team on the grid on red alert if Red Bull make a slow start next season.
The driver market is expected to be frenetic, with at least half the grid out of contract in 12 months.
Alonso, as Steiner mentioned, has made a habit of ending up in the wrong car despite his immense talent.
Verstappen has never been forced to try and choose which team to jump to during his career, but next year could finally be the moment when he needs to make that decision.
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