Max Verstappen stays relaxed as Red Bull battles early-season struggles and speculation swirls around his future
For all the talk swirling around the paddock, Max Verstappen remains a picture of calm. The reigning world champion is clearly feeling the heat of a turbulent start to the 2025 Formula 1 season with Red Bull Racing, but if there’s any internal pressure, he’s doing a fine job of brushing it off. Even as whispers of a potential exit grow louder, Verstappen is keeping his cool.
After a shaky weekend in Bahrain, where he only managed a sixth-place finish, concern is rising within Red Bull’s senior ranks. Longtime motorsport adviser Helmut Marko didn’t hold back when speaking to Sky Germany, admitting he has “great concern” that Verstappen could look to part ways with the team.
But Verstappen himself? He’s taking it all in stride.
“A lot of people are talking about it except me,” the Dutchman said during Thursday’s media session ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. “Like I said before, I just want to focus on my car, work with the people in the team – that’s the only thing I’m thinking about in Formula 1 at the moment. I’m very relaxed.”
Red Bull’s Difficult Start Adds Intrigue to Verstappen’s Future
It’s an unusual position for Red Bull and Verstappen to be in. After four years of near-total dominance, the team appears to have lost its edge – and with it, its grip on both championships.
Verstappen currently sits third in the drivers’ standings, eight points adrift of early leader Lando Norris. The McLaren man has made a rapid start to 2025, and Verstappen’s recent win in Japan, while brilliant, has only just kept him in the hunt.
The title race is wide open, and Red Bull’s status as front-runner is under serious threat. In Bahrain, Verstappen qualified in seventh and struggled to climb through the field. Meanwhile, Norris stood proudly on the podium in third. It was a wake-up call for Red Bull – and a reminder that nothing lasts forever in Formula 1.
And yet, Verstappen’s attitude remains unflustered.
“I just go race by race,” he added. “I think [Saudi Arabia] will be better than Bahrain. The rest is out of my hands.”
Much of the drama around Verstappen’s future hinges on one year: 2026. That’s when Formula 1’s new engine regulations come into force – a seismic shift that could reshuffle the competitive order. It’s also the moment many expect driver moves to shake up the grid.
Though Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull through to 2028, it’s no secret there are performance clauses in his deal. Should the team fall below a certain threshold, it could open the door for an early exit.
That possibility has not gone unnoticed by rivals.
Mercedes and Aston Martin have both been linked with Verstappen. In fact, it’s believed he held exploratory talks with Mercedes last year, though team boss Toto Wolff recently played down the chances of a deal being struck.
“Not on any radar,” was how Wolff described a 2026 swoop for Verstappen at the Australian Grand Prix earlier this season.
Aston Martin, too, have been floated as a possible destination, but that idea appears even more remote. Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, now in the twilight of his career, was asked if he’d welcome Verstappen as a team-mate.
“Yes, but that’s unlikely to happen – very unlikely,” Alonso said with a smile.
With Lawrence Stroll’s son, Lance, holding the other seat at Aston, it’s hard to see Verstappen fitting into that dynamic. For now, the Dutchman seems content to see where Red Bull’s trajectory takes them.
Memories of Dominance Make Current Struggles Sting
This time last year, Red Bull were miles ahead of the field. At the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Verstappen cruised to victory with team-mate Sergio Perez following him home in second.
The momentum from that early-season dominance carried Verstappen to his fourth world title in a row. But Red Bull’s form nosedived late in the year, allowing McLaren to overtake them in the constructors’ championship. Ferrari also found form, nudging Red Bull into an unfamiliar third-place finish.
Verstappen has not forgotten the winning feeling.
“I enjoyed last year and the year before when we were dominant,” he admitted. “Now it is enjoyable in a way of the challenges that are out there and trying to improve the situation, I would say.”
“I am happy. I am not very happy with my car. But we all want to be better – there is no secret in that. We all want to improve.”
Jeddah Awaits: Can Red Bull Respond in Saudi Arabia?
As Formula 1 touches down in Saudi Arabia for round five, Red Bull and Verstappen have a chance to reassert themselves.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit has been kind to them in the past, with Verstappen’s blistering pace proving decisive on multiple occasions. If the team can get their setup right, there’s every chance they could return to winning ways.
And they’ll need to. With McLaren surging, Ferrari sniffing around the front, and Mercedes quietly improving, the margin for error is shrinking. The constructors’ title is still up for grabs, but Red Bull can’t afford many more off-weekends if they hope to keep both trophies in Milton Keynes.
It’s a test of character as much as performance – for the team, for the leadership, and for Verstappen himself.
What’s Really at Stake for Verstappen and Red Bull?
The broader question that looms over all of this is legacy. Verstappen has already etched his name into the sport’s history books, but he has the chance to go further – to match or even surpass the greats.
Winning a fifth consecutive title this year would put him level with Juan Manuel Fangio, and leave only Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton ahead. But to do that, he needs a car capable of fighting every weekend.
If Red Bull can’t deliver that in the long term – especially heading into the pivotal 2026 rule changes – who could blame Verstappen for looking elsewhere?
Still, the man himself is staying tight-lipped.
“I just want to drive fast cars,” Verstappen said earlier this season. “That’s always been the goal.”
Whether those fast cars remain Red Bull’s or someone else’s is the big unknown.
Verstappen, Red Bull, and the Future: Questions Without Answers (For Now)
So, where does that leave us? Verstappen’s future remains a hot topic, Red Bull’s dominance looks under real threat, and the 2025 championship is wide open.
But for all the speculation, the
