Yesterday at 10:00
Red Bull has been warned by former F1 driver Martin Brundle over a
double blow impact of losing Max Verstappen to rivals Mercedes.
Verstappen has long been linked with a switch to the Brackley-based
squad, however the rumours gathered further pace this week
following a report from Italian media that concrete negotiations
were underway between the two parties. Sitting 61 points down on
championship leader Oscar Piastri, Verstappen faces a huge uphill
battle in an effort to pull himself into title contention. With a
fresh set of technical regulations coming into play next year and
Mercedes tipped to enter the new era in strong fashion, it has been
labelled as a potential destination for Verstappen amid Red Bull's
dip in form. Although Verstappen has a deal with Red Bull until
2028, performance clauses are believed to be included in the
contract - meaning any potential exit will likely go through a
regulatory body. "You have a thing called the Contract Recognition
Board in F1 where everybody's contract is lodged centrally in
Switzerland, and any disputes are handled like that," Brundle told
Sky F1 . "But can you keep an unhappy driver in the seat?" Brundle
suggested Mercedes could be motivated by poaching Red Bull's key
asset for strong results, as the driver in the second seat has
struggled for performance across the last handful of years. "From
Mercedes' point of view, it would not only give them the fastest
driver on the grid right now, it also takes him away from Red
Bull," Brundle added. "And if you took Verstappen out of Red Bull's
results in recent seasons, that would look pretty dire."
