With the news that Max Verstappen’s regular race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will move to McLaren after 2027, rumors about the world champion’s Formula 1 future are circulating once again. The Dutch driver himself sowed doubt about the further course of his F1 career during the Japanese GP, after having expressed his dissatisfaction with the 2026 cars several times already. Should Verstappen indeed leave the Austrians prematurely, Ralf Schumacher does not think another top driver will soon replace the world champion: ‘The team is a bit of a mess at the moment.’
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Max Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until 2028. However, with the announced departure of his regular race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase before then, it remains to be seen whether the Dutchman will complete it. Should the world champion indeed leave the Austrian team prematurely, Red Bull will be keen to bring in another talent. According to Ralf Schumacher, however, the question is whether top drivers still want to work with Red Bull.
“Well, I think we have to be very honest here: Red Bull is not really the obvious choice for drivers in the current situation,” the former Formula 1 driver says in the Backstage Boxengasse podcast. “It’s another long-term project – starting with the development of the engine, which they have done well, by the way. The team is a bit of a mess at the moment; it’s quite chaotic and there is no good communication with the outside world. Dr. Helmut Marko is also missing as a figurehead to, how shall I put it, provide some guidance, in my opinion.”
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Leclerc
According to rumors, Red Bull would be interested in signing Charles Leclerc should Verstappen leave. However, Schumacher does not recommend the Monegasque consider this option. “I wouldn’t know if it would make sense for Charles Leclerc to switch from a team that is just starting to function well. I also can’t imagine Ferrari actually considering this,” the current analyst continues. “It wouldn’t be very smart, because I think Lewis Hamilton’s situation is foreseeable under normal, let’s say, circumstances, simply because of his age. Ferrari needs to develop new young drivers, but then they would have to keep one, namely Charles Leclerc. It’s actually not recommended.”
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