Will Max Verstappen's loyalty to Red Bull play havoc with him in the future? This is basically what Jenson Button is starting to think.
The 2009 world champion believes that Red Bull is in decline and that the Dutchman should therefore consider looking elsewhere. Perhaps at Mercedes F1 for the new engine regulations, from 2026?
“You look at the situation, and at Red Bull they are probably the third, even fourth best team at the moment, so it’s tricky,” said Jenson Button.
But the Briton already knows Max Verstappen's answer!
“But then Max said: 'Yes, but we haven't had the best car since the seventh or eighth race, and my competitors still haven't caught me in the championship,' which is a good argument. As a team, they are still great. They just don't have the performance in the car like we've come to expect over the last three and a half years. »
“But if they start like they do now in 2025, it puts a lot of pressure on the drivers to maximize every weekend. Maybe he will look elsewhere, but they have given him so much in recent years in terms of performance. »
Button believes that Verstappen must be pragmatic… even if it means slamming the door of the house that made him grow up.
“He doesn't want to leave a team that has given him so much, but he has to think about the most important person, which is himself. »
A little selfishness would do Max Verstappen good!
End clap in F1 in 2028?
But what is certain is that Max Verstappen will not be giving up motorsport anytime soon. Even if Max Verstappen already wants to retire, Button sees him staying out of pure passion. Not necessarily in F1 for calendar reasons, but in other series.
“There are two types of F1 drivers. There are the drivers for whom F1 is all that matters, and when they stop, they walk away completely. »
“But for Max and others like me, we love motorsport, not just Formula 1. So Max won't leave F1 to stop winning. »
“He will leave Formula 1 and go racing elsewhere. He talked about doing endurance races, maybe Le Mans or Daytona. Or maybe he'll settle for sim racing, who knows? But he will continue to fight for victories. »
“That won’t change. It's just the environment that will change. F1 is the pinnacle, but there's a lot more pressure than in other categories, and a lot more eyes on you. »
So Button doesn't see Max Verstappen staying beyond 2028, the end date of his current contract?
“Maybe this will be his last contract in F1. He will respect his contract with Red Bull, then he will walk away, who knows? But he will continue to run for a very long time, maybe just in a different way. »
