Max Verstappen told what he must now do at Red Bull to stop his Formula 1 legacy being ‘dented’

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Max Verstappen faces a very strange end to the 2025 Formula 1 season with his hopes of winning a fifth straight championship in tatters.

If Max Verstappen wants to win a fifth drivers’ championship, he needs to overturn a 97-point deficit to McLaren star Oscar Piastri.

Even if Red Bull take a sudden step forward over the summer break, Verstappen would require both McLaren drivers suffering multiple failures for a late title charge to become a possibility.

This left Verstappen facing a decision about his future that led to months of speculation.

Verstappen’s contract expires in 2028, but that didn’t stop the Dutchman from being linked with Mercedes and Aston Martin.

The 27-year-old committed to racing for Red Bull next season when the 2026 regulations are introduced, but that’s going to be another potential turning point in his career.

If Red Bull don’t match his expectations once again, then he will need to make a serious decision on his next step.

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Alex Brundle tells Max Verstappen how to avoid denting his F1 legacy at Red Bull

Racing driver and pundit Alex Brundle was a guest on The Red Flags Podcast and was talking about Verstappen falling out of contention this season.

Brundle addressed what Verstappen has to do for the rest of this season, and how he should consider his next steps in Formula 1 by stating: “I mean, he’s just a professional problem at this point, isn’t he? He’s just a problem for the rest of the year.

“We know he’s going to stay with Red Bull, but he’s still considering his future, right?

“So, Red Bull have negotiations continually going on. It wouldn’t be long before Max really underperforms, like, we know the car was not there for him this weekend [in Hungary]. It was absolutely torrid. I watched it all weekend.

“But like, let’s say he did the rest of the end of this season out of the back of the points, then went into the new regulation set and then the first half of next season with Red Bull as well, like back end of the top 10, like really struggling.

“At that point, I don’t think anybody’s ever going to say he’s not one of the greatest drivers in the world, but like moving in terms of his options, you never know what can happen then on.

“The legend of Max Verstappen is definitely slightly dented then in comparison to him being out front, clearly outperforming a Red Bull which is super tricky to drive or delivering the full potential of a Red Bull which is super tricky to drive and then delivering race results where he’s like slipping it by Piastri in Imola and being able to lead races in a really difficult car.

“So he still needs to be that problem, even though he knows he’s not going to win the championship now.”

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Max Verstappen would need to choose between Mercedes and Aston Martin for 2027 F1 season

If next season doesn’t go to plan for Verstappen, then moving on might end up being his only option.

The Dutchman has admitted on multiple occasions that he has no interest in making up the numbers on the grid, and so if Red Bull can’t offer him a race-winning car, then he’ll need to start looking elsewhere.

Mercedes have already greenlit a move for Verstappen, but this summer’s business could complicate matters.

George Russell is about to sign a new Mercedes deal, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s new contract won’t be far behind.

If they both sign multi-year extensions, then suddenly Toto Wolff has a conundrum.

Aston Martin also want to sign Verstappen, and might have a natural vacancy open up in the team.

Fernando Alonso’s contract expires next year, and unless something miraculous happens, it’s likely to be his final year with the team.