Max Verstappen’s frustration with Red Bull has increased a lot over the past couple of months since the RB20’s performance has taken a nosedive. While the Dutchman has maintained his stance of staying with Red Bull till the end of his current contract, many believe that 2025 might be his last year with them. F1 expert Cameron has recently claimed that Christian Horner might be eyeing Oscar Piastri as a possible replacement for Verstappen.
One of the main reasons for Verstappen to leave the Milton Keynes squad, according to Cameron, is his lack of faith in the newly designed Red Bull engines with the help of Ford. Moreover, if Horner is no longer confident in keeping the three-time champion for the long term, he may start scouting for drivers as soon as possible.
“Since Max Emilian Verstappen might not be there [in 2026], Christian Horner needs to highlight the fact, as a negotiation ploy, that there are other hot prospects that he can sign… [George Russell] will be the first option, the second option, however, is Oscar Jack Piastri,” Cameron remarked.
A report from @F1insidercom suggests that #RedBull could be after Oscar Piastri if Max Verstappen was to leave Red Bull at the end of 2024…
Good job our Oscar has a contract for 2025 and Max will most likely stay at Red Bull #F1 #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/iTKila6VKZ
— McLaren F1 Zone (@TheMcLarenZone) March 6, 2024
He also noted how Piastri is one of the few drivers on the current F1 grid who have won the F3 and F2 titles back to back and as of now, he is the youngest of them all, which makes him the perfect choice for Horner.
He also believes that McLaren is well aware of the fact that Piastri might be on the radar of all front-running teams. That is why, they have been so cautious and reluctant in introducing team orders between Piastri and Lando Norris.
McLaren CEO, Zak Brown has said on several occasions that both their drivers have the number one status. However, Cameron believes that Piastri’s manager and former Red Bull driver Mark Webber is still good friends with Horner, and if push comes to shove, he could help Piastri move to Red Bull.
According to Cameron, this is the reason why McLaren is not releasing their junior driver Gabriel Bortoleto to Sauber/Audi, who have shown interest in him. With Verstappen’s contract ending in 2028 and Piastri’s contract ending in 2026, it will be interesting to see how this situation develops.
Horner might need a second driver before the end of the season
Sergio Perez was on the verge of losing his seat after the summer break before Red Bull decided to keep him until the end of this season. However, there have been rumors that Perez might announce his retirement after his home race in Mexico.
If that were to happen, combined with the looming threat of Verstappen’s exit, Red Bull would soon need to look out for two drivers to help them rebuild. Horner has recently hinted at George Russell — who will be out of contract at the end of 2025 — being a good option.
“Look, we’re not afraid to go out of the pool. George Russell is out of contract at the end of next year. It would be foolish not to take that into consideration. There are other drivers, talented drivers, that will be out of contract as well,” Horner said as quoted by Formula1.com.
