Red Bull could target two race-winning drivers if Max Verstappen leaves before 2026

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Max Verstappen had his championship lead cut down to 47 points at the Mexico City Grand Prix after he was brutally punished by the stewards after another battle with Lando Norris.

Carlos Sainz secured his second win of the season in Mexico City and Ferrari’s second win in a row, while Norris came home second ahead of Charles Leclerc in third.

Verstappen had taken the lead on the first lap, but the Red Bull was overtaken by Sainz after a brilliant divebomb into turn one. On lap 10, the Dutchman was involved in another incident with Norris as he pushed the McLaren off the track at turns four and 10, allowing Leclerc through for a Ferrari one-two lead.

Verstappen was handed a 20-second time penalty for the incidents and left him at the back of the field. Helmut Marko thinks the stewards were trying to set an example with the 20-second penalty, but admitted the Red Bull driver deserved a harsh penalty.

The 27-year-old recovered to finish sixth, while teammate Sergio Perez finished last of the classified drivers in 17th. The dismal weekend for Red Bull have allowed Ferrari to jump ahead of them into second in the Constructors’ Championship.

The result means that Verstappen’s winless run since Spain continues, and he has only grabbed four podiums since that race. The Dutchman will certainly not be happy with the team’s current trajectory compared to their rivals and will give ammunition to the rumours that he could leave the team.

Red Bull could target Oscar Piastri or Carlos Sainz to replace Max Verstappen

Verstappen reportedly has an exit clause in his Red Bull contract that allows him to depart the team before it is due to expire in 2028.

The Dutchman has been linked with a move away since it was announced that Adrian Newey will be leaving Red Bull for Aston Martin after two decades with the Milton Keynes outfit. Since then, several drivers have be linked with Red Bull as potential replacements for Verstappen.

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Red Bull have made no secret about their interest in Oscar Piastri with the young McLaren driver’s high potential and impressive performances in F1 thus far. Zak Brown has insisted his two drivers are going nowhere, with the Aussie contracted until at least 2026.

Sainz had been linked with Red Bull when he was searching for his next move after he was shown the door by Ferrari in favour of Lewis Hamilton. While he ended up signing with Williams, Sainz has a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave if he receives an offer from Mercedes or Red Bull.

Speaking on The Race F1 Podcast, Scott Mitchell-Malm has a ‘gut feeling’ that Red Bull will target Piastri and Sainz if they lose Verstappen.

“We are potentially six or seven months away from another fascinating driver market with 2026 around the corner. What happens to Max Verstappen at Red Bull?” he said.

“If Max leaves Red Bull, it’s Armageddon in the driver market because Red Bull will need to get an A-lister in, and my suspicion is that they will go for either Oscar Piastri or Carlos Sainz. That would be my gut feeling.

“Logically, taking George Russell makes sense and the only way that I think they lose Verstappen is if Verstappen moves to Mercedes and then Russell is on the market.”

How realistic is it that Max Verstappen could leave Red Bull?

It is clear that Red Bull’s performance has fallen off from last season, with McLaren and Ferrari now boasting a stronger package.

If their current trajectory continues and their rivals keep making strides forward in their development, especially in the wake of the new technical regulations coming in 2026, it could entice Verstappen to explore other options.

Aston Martin are interested in Verstappen, and after the signing of Newey, it would make sense for the Dutchman to reunite with the legendary engineer who hopes to build the team up to success as he has done throughout his career.

However, the Verstappen camp are said to favour Mercedes after having talks with the team this year. With George Russell’s contract up at the end of 2025, there could be an opening at the Silver Arrows that could be of interest to the Dutchman if Red Bull cannot provide him with a competitive car.