Guenther Steiner questions whether McLaren would actually be a ‘step forward’ for Max Verstappen

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Former F1 team boss Guenther Steiner strongly believes Max Verstappen will remain at Red Bull, questioning whether a move to McLaren would actually be a “step forward” for the four-time world champion.

The saga involving where Max Verstappen will be plying his trade next season remains a big talking point inside the F1 paddock, with the Dutchman refusing to publicly pledge his future to Red Bull during his media duties ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.

Verstappen has been heavily linked with McLaren following confirmation that his long-time Red Bull race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, will be swapping Milton Keynes for Woking ahead of the 2028 F1 season.

Some in the F1 paddock believe Verstappen is simply trying to put pressure on Red Bull for reasons unclear. One theory suggests that the pressure may turn the RB22 from coal into a diamond, with which the Dutchman can finally fight at the front of the grid.

• READ MORE: Red Bull have chosen the best and worst F1 race to finally listen to Max Verstappen

Guenther Steiner thinks Max Verstappen would be making a ‘sideways’ move if he joined McLaren

In a recent appearance on Starting Grid, Steiner was asked for his thoughts on whether Verstappen will actually depart from the F1 team he has spent the majority of his career at or if it is just one huge bluff.

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“I reckon the biggest issue is that he’ll definitely switch teams or do something else at some point,” he replied. “Whether it’ll be next year, I don’t know. I don’t really think so, because where would he go that’s better?

“At Red Bull, he hasn’t won a race this year yet. He can keep up, but he’s had a few issues with the wing. He wasn’t happy with the rear wing, for instance, but I think the only possibility being mentioned is that he might replace Oscar Piastri at McLaren.

“Or make a swap, so to speak, where Oscar goes to Red Bull, and Max goes to McLaren. But is that really better for Max at the moment?”

It has recently emerged that Verstappen has concerns over McLaren’s status as an engine customer. With Mercedes locked in to supply power units to the British constructor until 2030, Steiner thinks that foregoing works support could be detrimental to the Dutchman.

• READ MORE: Red Bull must now convince Max Verstappen of their three-point plan to stop him leaving F1

“At Red Bull, he has a works engine,” the Italian executive continued. “At McLaren, he’d have a Mercedes customer engine. I think Max and the people around him are very experienced, intelligent and know exactly the same things we do.

“Therefore, would that really be a step forward, or would it just be a sideways move? He doesn’t need a sideways move. At Red Bull, he’s in control of the team. If he goes to McLaren, that’s Lando Norris’s team. Norris was the world champion there last year.”

All in all, Steiner is confident that Verstappen will remain in Milton Keynes for the foreseeable future, concluding with, “So, I reckon he’ll stay at Red Bull.”