It’s easy to forget just how much Max Verstappen struggled in 2024. The fact that he won his fourth consecutive World Championship with two races to spare has somewhat overshadowed Red Bull’s mechanical woes. Yes, the Dutchman proved that he can single-handedly win races, even with a sub-par car. But can he do it every single year?
Verstappen doesn’t think so. Ahead of the 2025 campaign, he warned Red Bull about the possibility of falling even further down the pecking order. “If we continue like this, I will not be champion next year. It’s that simple,” he said De Telegraaf after the Abu Dhabi GP last year.
With the upcoming campaign set to be more competitive than ever, Red Bull has to be at its best — not just to bring the Constructors’ title back to Milton Keynes, but also to keep hold of its star driver.
That’s exactly what Gerhard Berger believes Red Bull is at risk of losing.
In a recent interview with AMuS, the former F1 driver declared Verstappen as the best driver in F1. But the Austrian also stated that he doesn’t have the best car anymore. “In the meantime, however, Max is pulling the chestnuts out of the fire,” Berger added.
Max Verstappen on F1 2025:https://t.co/HX1hiMc9NX pic.twitter.com/h3sET02E67
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) January 1, 2025
“Now it will be exciting to see if Red Bull can return to its former strength, or if Verstappen will continue to have difficulties winning.”
In that case, Berger feels that Verstappen will have to consider leaving Red Bull for a team that can guarantee him success. And there’s already an ambitious team on the grid that is lining up a record-breaking offer to secure the services of the 27-year-old megastar.
Billion-dollar deal on the table
With reports of Verstappen’s growing dissatisfaction with Red Bull’s performance, speculation quickly linked him to Aston Martin. There was a $1 billion contract rumored to have been offered to the Red Bull driver, something officials from the Silverstone-based team have denied since.
However, these rumors haven’t completely died out yet, which suggests that there might have been a hint of seriousness in this whole ordeal.
Aston Martin may not be a race-winning outfit currently, but are certainly poised to become one with owner Lawrence Stroll investing heavily in technology and personnel to take the Silverstone-based outfit to the next level.
️ Helmut Marko: “Max drives where he can win. Aston Martin has the most modern factory, the wind tunnel will be operational next year and Honda engines will be added to that. Everything fits.”
“And if you look at history, it is clear: wherever Newey has gone, there has been an… pic.twitter.com/wmv5aBOtVU
— Verstappen News (@verstappenews) September 12, 2024
It won’t be too bad for Verstappen to move to Aston Martin if they become a top team with the 2026 regulations reset. But only if they actually live up to the hype and begin challenging for the crown.
Verstappen could take his time, and assess the situation in 2025 before making a decision. On the other hand, if Red Bull regains its lost form, there’s a huge chance that the four-time champion will choose to remain home.
