Max Verstappen could potentially be in the midst of a swap deal with McLaren, former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher has suggested.
News filtered out, earlier this week, that Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen’s race engineer, has made the shock decision to leave Red Bull.
All the more shocking was his choice of destination – McLaren. Lambiase will head up the Woking-based team‘s F1 project as a deputy to Team Principal Andrea Stella “no later” than 2028 as per the team’s official statement.
This decision, however, is also slated to have a cascading effect on the driver market per Schumacher and it all revolves around the four-time World Champion.
Verstappen has been pretty vocal about his allegiences to Lambiase, and vice versa. With the 45-year-old’s time at Red Bull coming to an end, many believe the same for Verstappen as well.
The former Williams driver turned Sky Sports F1 pundit, however, believes Verstappen has two options; retirement or a shock move to McLaren that would see Oscar Piastri heading to Red Bull.
“This could mean he leaves Red Bull because he no longer believes in the team and quits altogether, especially since he never tires of emphasising how boring he finds Formula 1,” he told Sky Sports Germany.
“Or: He goes to McLaren with his engineer, which would equally mean that there are negotiations underway at McLaren for Oscar Piastri to go to Red Bull, something we’ve seen before.”
The Red Bull-Max Verstappen-Lambiase drama is far from over
Reports hint at Lambiase honoring his Red Bull contract that ends in 2027, a year earlier than when Verstappen’s is due to expire.
But Schumacher is of the opinion that the 45-year-old will be pushing hard to negotiate an exit that sees him join McLaren sooner rather than later.
“I think there will be some negotiations between the two parties,” he explained.
“I can’t imagine him finishing 2027 at Red Bull. It will now be about a transfer fee, because when a decision is made this early, it’s usually the engineer who leaves.”
Moreover, a rumored exit clause in the Dutchman’s contract with Red Bull also might be ready to be triggered.
As per reports, if Verstappen isn’t in the top two of the drivers’ standings by the summer break – a bleak possibility at best – he can terminate his contract.
Schumacher is banking on this. “Gianpiero Lambiase always said: ‘I’m staying with Max and Max with him.’ That position no longer seems to be the case. In my view, Max will reorient himself next year,” he added.
“We also mustn’t forget: This exit clause, which was denied, seems to exist. And it doesn’t currently look like Red Bull will be in a top position until mid-year. Therefore, Verstappen is free to do something like this.”
If Verstappen is to force Red Bull’s hand into relieving him of his contract, the driver market for 2028 and beyond could see drastic and long-standing implications.
READ MORE – How Gianpiero Lambiase’s McLaren move could cause seismic F1 earthquake
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