'Obvious Choice' For Verstappen Identified By Ecclestone

Thursday, 02 May 2024 at 18:00

Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone discussed Max Verstappen's situation and suggested he sees it would be "silly" for him to leave Red Bull right now.

Max Verstappen is nearing a crossroads in his career, and he might soon have to make a critical decision about whether he wants to stay with Red Bull Racing.

There are a couple of reasons that might push him towards a potential exit. One is the tense situation inside the team related to the ongoing power struggle.

The power struggle is also said to be one reason for Adrian Newey's exit. Red Bull now needs to develop a new car for 2026 without its star chief technical officer and with its own engine.

This is a huge task, and if Red Bull failed, the Dutchman would probably not be interested in driving a midfield car.

Read also

Verstappen's Father Issues Warning Amid Newey's Exit From Red Bull

On the other hand, there are also multiple reasons why he should stay, and Bernie Ecclestone suggests it would be silly at the moment not to remain with the team from Milton Keynes. He told Racingnews365:

"He's too intelligent to do that. What would he gain? To go where? It'd be silly to move. There's nowhere he could go where I think he would get exactly the same service as you get at Red Bull."

In Red Bull, Verstappen gets the position of number one driver, the fastest pit stops, and basically everything he needs to win Championships (as long as they have the best car, that is).

But if Ecclestone should search for reasons that could prompt his exit, he suggests it would be the challenge of winning with another team and proving that it's him, not the car.

"Would he go to think he could prove it's not what people say at the moment, maybe it's not him it's the car that's fantastic."

"So maybe he would like to go somewhere else to prove it's me, not the car. It's another side of things. But where would he go? I suppose in the end Mercedes is the obvious choice."