Verstappen + Antonelli? Our take on F1's next big driver moves
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What are the latest rumors about Max Verstappen's future in Formula 1?
The Athletic. The race is on, and amid rumours about Max Verstappen and McLaren, what's really going on behind the scenes when it comes to the four-times world champions Formula One future, and what does it mean for the driver market? I'm Ed Straw, and joining me to tackle that and answer listener questions are Nelson Valkenburg and Josh Sutil. Right, Josh, Verstappen to McLaren rumours now. The everlasting Max Verstappen's future saga continues. That all flared up during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend. What do we know about the situation?
Yeah, so from what we understand, there has been talks between McLaren and Max Verstappen's camp. according to the McLaren side it's on the approach from the Red Bull camp or from the Verstappen camp rather which McLaren did their job of entertaining Zac Brown has to look after the interests of the team and that includes I think taking an approach from the best driver in Formula 1 it makes perfect sense so there were talks between Zac Brown and the Verstappen camp about the future uh not necessarily about 2027 about next year because it seems like the seats there are locked in oscar piastri and landon orris you know have a contract for next year i think there hasn't really been kind of proper proof that someone like piastri is is really looking for a way out so there isn't really a space there for 27 and likewise elsewhere i mean mercedes seems to have finally given up on chasing verstappen for now and ferrari obviously hamilton's had his
big turnaround so there's not a gap there either so really this is not so much about next year it is about the future for 2028 and just the vague possibility there but maybe there could be a move I mean part of it I'm sure is Verstappen shoring up in renegotiations with Red Bull you know just showing that there is a different option there we know that he doesn't want to be stuck without a championship winning car and there's been times this year where it's looked like Red Bull doesn't have that obviously we've just come off a weekend where they've had their best weekend of the year with an upgrade that's worked so Red Bull's sort of strengthened its hand there but I think this is mainly just kind of the Verstappen camp kind of strengthening their hand by just showing that there is a potential alternative to Red Bull that isn't Mercedes
How do Verstappen's potential moves affect the wider driver market?
Yeah, this Verstappen move story, which looks like it could go on for another year or so, it's kind of the equivalent of the Senna potentially leaving McLaren stuff in the early 90s, isn't it? That just went on over years and years and then eventually did move. But, Nelson, how big a deal is this in the Netherlands? I mean, it's Max Verstappen. He's a big deal, whatever he's doing. But I know kind of in the international media that McLaren stuff really picked up some steam during the Austrian weekend. I guess that means it must have been a big story in your part of the world.
Definitely so, simply because the Dutch fans are really, really looking for a way for Verstappen to be in a car that he at least can battle for the win from weekend to weekend. We just came from, as Josh said, from the Red Bull Ring, where Verstappen was very competitive on race pace, but... That's a super small sample size, and we need to see whether or not the real problems that are with this car are going to be addressed. So I think what is also playing in the mind of a lot of people that are following Verstappen closely is that everybody, it seems like, from the original Red Bull team has left or is on the way out.
What insights do the guests provide about Verstappen's negotiations?
And... Is there the certainty, is there the belief that the current group or the group that's coming in is able to give him what he needs to fight with Mercedes and McLaren? So there is some anxiety there with the fans, I think, and that's why it's gaining traction in the Netherlands.
The thing that's really almost unexpected about this situation is that I can remember us saying, which made sense at the time, well, wait until 2026 starts because then it's going to be clear what the direction of travel should be.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What are the latest rumors about Max Verstappen's future in Formula 1?
0:02–2:23
2
How do Verstappen's potential moves affect the wider driver market?
2:23–3:34
3
What insights do the guests provide about Verstappen's negotiations?
3:34–5:26
4
What is the significance of Verstappen's relationship with Red Bull?
5:26–7:12
5
How does the performance of Williams drivers impact their future?
7:12–9:14
6
What factors are influencing Isack Hadjar's performance this season?
9:14–13:14
7
How are listener questions shaping the discussion on driver dynamics?
13:14–24:19
8
What conclusions can we draw about the future of F1 driver contracts?
24:19–58:55
Speakers
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