Max Verstappen has privately complained about the same issue that’s affecting Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

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Max Verstappen’s future is the next matter Red Bull must resolve after firing Christian Horner. They will hope that the regime change convinces the world champion to stay put.

It’s been suggested this week that Verstappen was instrumental in Horner’s exit. He may have used interest from Mercedes as leverage.

Reports vary on that subject, but what’s clear is that Verstappen is not yet totally committed to Red Bull for 2026. His contract runs until the end of 2028 but contains exit clauses.

At the halfway point of the 2025 season, the reigning champion is 69 points behind leader Oscar Piastri. He’s missed out on the podium in seven of the first 12 Grands Prix.

Max Verstappen feels that Red Bull aren’t adequately listening to him

Horner has been replaced by Laurent Mekies, who steps up from Racing Bulls. He will have to address some of Verstappen’s key complaints.

Mekies has already agreed to relinquish some power relative to his predecessor. This will please the superstar driver, who felt Horner was overstretched.

But according to Fox Sports Australia, one of Verstappen’s main ‘gripes’ is his perception that Red Bull haven’t taken his feedback ‘seriously enough’. If they’d truly listened to him, perhaps they wouldn’t be in this ‘hole’.

Verstappen may seek assurances from Mekies that this issue will be addressed. He’s certainly earned the right to guide car development after winning four straight titles.

Lewis Hamilton wants more influence at Ferrari

Verstappen has still been one of the top performers on the grid this season, if not the number one. He’s scored 165 of Red Bull’s 172 points.

His great rival Lewis Hamilton has had a more difficult year at Ferrari, though recent races have yielded an improvement. It seems as if the two drivers are experiencing a similar issue.

Hamilton has been trying to guide Ferrari’s set-up choices before a race weekend, tapping into 18 years of experience. But the team’s engineers have their own way of doing things.

It’s also emerged that Hamilton has pushed Ferrari to change their philosophy. He wants them to take a ‘less extreme’ approach for 2026, but there seems to be some disagreement within the team.

Indeed, Charles Leclerc’s driver coach wants Ferrari to listen to Hamilton. But Fred Vasseur needs to decide how much power to give his blockbuster signing.