Max Verstappen was not only overly frustrated on the team radio during the Hungarian Grand Prix, but he also made some unusual comments about Red Bull in his post-race interviews. According to former McLaren mechanic, Marc Priestley, that may be a sign of his worsening relationship with Red Bull.
Priestley mentioned how there have been rumors about Verstappen leaving Red Bull and joining Mercedes for quite a while. While many thought it wouldn’t happen until 2026, Priestley believes that Verstappen’s increasing discontent with Red Bull may be signs of the switch happening sooner rather than later. Especially because the three-time champion is no longer in the overall fastest car.
Welcome back, mad Max! #Verstappen #F1 pic.twitter.com/PA5gnSbJjR
— F1 Radio Messages (@F1RadioMessages) July 21, 2024
Looking back at Verstappen’s radio messages and his post-race comments, Priestley noted,
“The way that he [Max Verstappen] was talking [in his post-race interviews], I just wonder if that might be a sign of things to come. There’s been rumors for some time about Max potentially jumping ship and going to Mercedes much more likely for 2026. But I wonder I just wonder if it could happen earlier than that”.
The 47-year-old also pointed out how Verstappen used the word ‘they’ instead of ‘we’ while criticizing the pace of his car and Red Bull’s strategy. He explained how drivers usually use the word ‘we’ to make comments such as ‘we need to do better’, etc.
Verstappen’s comments might be a sign that the Dutchman is already starting to distance himself from the team. However, the foundation of his relationship with Red Bull through Helmut Marko is quite strong and may not wither away after just a few races of underperformance.
Marko is still the key to retaining Verstappen for Red Bull
The controversy that surrounded Red Bull’s team principal, Christian Horner, during the start of the season, had already ruined the relationship between the Briton and Max’s father, Jos Verstappen. Jos reportedly is of the opinion that his son should leave the team if Horner stays.
And it almost came to pass when rumors about Marko’s suspension started for allegedly leaking details about Horner’s internal investigation. Verstappen made it clear during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend that for him to stay, Marko’s presence is a must.
️ | Christian Horner on Helmut Marko’s latest commitment change to the team
“After all, Helmut’s initial contract would only end in 2026, so there was never any doubt about whether or not he would stay with the team until that year.
Things are better now, yes. That is quite… pic.twitter.com/VCdyouOq3Q
— RBR News (@redbulletin) July 21, 2024
Amid this, reports came out of a clause in Verstappen’s contract that he could leave the team if Marko were to leave for some reason. However, Marko has recently confirmed his commitment to the team at least till the end of 2026 as per the original agreement.
So, that may ascertain Verstappen’s stay as well, unless Red Bull’s performance dips down massively before the end of his contract in 2028.
