Former F1 driver turned television pundit Karun Chandhok has suggested five driver changes that would “inject some life” into the series amid Red Bull’s dominance.
Red Bull has continued to thrash the opposition under the third season with the latest ground effect regulations, with Max Verstappen leading consecutive 1-2 finishes.
That has come amid the backdrop of an unchanged F1 roster for the first time, but that won’t be replicated in 2025 with Lewis Hamilton’s impending move to Ferrari.
The seven-time champion’s bombshell decision to depart Mercedes has opened up a place alongside George Russell at Mercedes that has seen several drivers linked.
Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz have been touted as options, while Verstappen’s name has emerged since the investigation into Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.
Chandhok would support the Dutchman switching to the German marque, with Alonso taking his place at Red Bull and Sainz replacing his compatriot at Aston Martin.
Meanwhile, Chandhok, who made 11 F1 starts, believes Oliver Bearman deserves a promotion following his impressive stand-in appearance for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia.
“Let’s have a full jumble of the grid and inject some life into F1,” he posted on his X account.
“Lewis to Ferrari, Max to Mercedes, Alonso to Red Bull, Sainz to Aston, Bearman to Haas!
“That would get people tuning in to 2026…. Come on Stefano [Domenicali, F1 CEO] – make the phone calls!”
Verstappen has reiterated his intention to complete his Red Bull deal through 2028, but he did concede that Hamilton’s Ferrari switch showed it’s not a foregone outcome.
“The thing is I think no one would have ever seen that Lewis would move to Ferrari,” he professed.
“In my life – and it’s not related to F1 or whatever, it’s just general life – you never know what happens or what comes to you or whatever happens around you or what might influence you.
“So you can never say 100 per cent that’s how it’s going to be and I approach my life like that.
“But I also don’t think about it too much. I’m very relaxed, I’m very happy at the team, the performance is there – there’s no reason to move on.”
However, the three-time champion has admitted that there is “no reason to leave” Red Bull while the Milton-Keynes-based squad remains the pre-eminent force in F1.
“It’s about the performance of the car,” he explained.
“And of course, from 2026 onwards, that is a bit of a question mark anyway with new regulations, but I knew that when I signed my contract.
“But I also know what they have done for me in my career, so the intention is, of course, absolutely to stay with this team because I really enjoy it and I’m also really happy within the team.
“And as long as we perform, there is no reason to leave.”
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