Red Bull chief Oliver Mintzlaff has shown belief that Max Verstappen will never choose to form an alliance with rival team in F1 prior to retiring. The Dutch driver, needless to say, is one of the most ultra competitive and successful drivers in the top flight of Motorsport and there shall be a day where he will hang the steering wheel. But before any of that, which rests in the lap of the future, it is important to know what does the immediate future hold for the Red Bull icon?
Interestingly, the man who entered the 2025 season as the defending champion has attracted a lot of attention and understandably so. After all, Max Verstappen’s F1 prospects became a topic of attention during the first half of the 2025 season as the squad sat in a weak position against runaway frontrunners McLaren then.
The Dutch star was associated with a switch to Mercedes while talk of performance clauses cast uncertainty over his future at Red Bull.
Nevertheless, Verstappen insisted after the summer pause that he would stay put for 2026 before finding an improvement in form, leaving him painfully close to securing a fifth F1 crown overall.
Mr. Mintzlaff emphasised that the four-time world champion Max Verstappen can draw confidence from Red Bull’s setup after its mid-season recovery in form witnessed during this year (2025 season) of recent racing campaign.
He then added the following:
“What truly matters to say is that I am not worried about any performance clause within his agreement,” he explained. What matters most for a competitor is seeing that everyone inside the team gives absolutely everything for him there. And I believe Max has felt encouraged by how the results and the mood within the team have shifted this year overall.”
But having said all of that, what remains to be seen is just how competitive can Red Bull be in the course of the future. And the future, without much doubt, promises even more excitement. Here’s how-
On the one hand, World Champion Lando Norris would be interested in clinching another title, his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri would be keen to bounce back in 2026 to claim a possible maiden title triumph. And while improvements may happen at Ferrari and Mercedes, both of whom who hadn’t really been in the mix where it came to the top step of the podium in 2025, a certain Max Verstappen would be keen to claim a fifth title. We know how desperately close he made the title fight this recent season and what the Dutchman is capable of doing. Isn’t it?
