Verstappen Leaving Red Bull Still On Table According To Ralf Schumacher

Monday, 03 June 2024 at 22:00

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher asserted Max Verstappen potentially leaving is still a very real threat for Red Bull.

Although Mercedes's team principal, Toto Wolff (who stated he would like Verstappen to join his team), keeps saying anything is possible, the rumors about the Dutchman's potential exit have died down over the last few weeks.

The reason for that might also be that the 26-year-old himself keeps saying he is happy with Red Bull and that it would be amazing if he could finish his career there.

However, former F1 driver and six-time Grand Prix winner Ralf Schumacher believes nothing is over yet. Asked whether whether all rumors connecting Verstappen to Mercedes had been put to bed, he replied:

"Absolutely not - I don't think so. Max Verstappen will be looking for the best car. And one thing is also clear: at the moment it's not the Red Bull."

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If the Championship had started three races ago, Red Bull would now be in P3, 23 points behind Ferrari and 18 points behind McLaren.

Max Verstappen would be standing in P3 in the Drivers' Championship, four points behind Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.

This shows that these last three tracks didn't really suit Red Bull. However, these stats also show that McLaren and Ferrari both seem to have recently caught up with Milton Keynes' team. Schumacher believes McLaren is in the strongest position at the moment.

"The McLaren is the most complete package. The Red Bull is simply difficult to drive. Without the Max factor, they wouldn't have won in Imola either."

Red Bull's Helmut Marko also admitted he didn't believe there was a chance his team could win the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix without Verstappen. So, where does that leave the Austrian team?

The bumpy tracks clearly don't suit them, and there are a few of those remaining on the calendar, but Red Bull hopes to return to its full force on tracks like Barcelona.

It will also be interesting to watch how the team from Milton Keynes performs during this week's Canadian Grand Prix, which, yet again, should not suit them completely. Schumacher added:

"I think that theoretically the car works great, but I think that the limits of the car, including the aerodynamic stability, the car has to be driven so hard that it no longer goes over the curbs, no longer goes over bumps."