Red Bull is in a period of turmoil following the sacking of Christian Horner after the Brit spent 20 years at the helm of the team. The Milton Keynes-based team currently sits fourth in the championship, with only one car scoring points. Their star driver, Max Verstappen, has been linked with a move to rivals Mercedes.
Verstappen has scored 96 per cent of Red Bull’s points this season. Liam Lawson failed to score any points in his short stint at the Austrian team, while Yuki Tsunoda has only recorded seven. Former F1 driver Joylon Palmer believes it is essential that the Austrian team can keep the four-time world champion at the team
Red Bull must keep Max Verstappen, says former F1 driver
Max Verstappen has two wins this season to his name. This is the reason Red Bull isn’t scraping in the midfield. Jolyon Palmer thinks that Verstappen is the only reason Red Bull hasn’t imploded and must be kept at any cost.
Speaking to the F1 Nation podcast, Palmer said: “Max Verstappen’s contract and all the rumours falls in the same time as Christian is ousted from the team. So I think that’s one thing that Laurent [Mekies], with the hierarchy of Red Bull, needs to try and knuckle down.”
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“Can they keep their star driver? Because Max, at the moment, seems to be the glue that’s just holding this whole team together right now. A lot of the race team have gone from senior positions, yet Max is still able to deliver pole position at Silverstone. He’s still able to direct the team.”
Rumours circulated in the paddock that Verstappen was in talks with Mercedes over a possible switch. Verstappen has a reported exit clause in his contract, rumoured to be that if he sits lower than third in the championship by the Hungarian GP, he can leave for free. Mercedes is also reportedly willing to pay more than 100 million euros to release Max from his contract. Red Bull must do all it can to keep Max at the team.
Laurent Mekies must get the second Red Bull car scoring points
Max Verstappen has always outscored his teammates since the 2018 season. However, the season and lastly, the second seat have become an issue. With a large deficit between the Red Bull teammates, this is costing them in the championship. Under Christian Horner, the car was designed for Max Verstappen.
F1 Nation host Tom Clarkson says Laurent Mekies must make Red Bull a “two-car team“. He continued, “I mean, without Max Verstappen, Red Bull would be last in the Constructors’ Championship this year. That is how significant his influence is.”
“We’ve seen over the last seven years or so that the second car hasn’t performed anything like as effectively as the first car.”
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“I think that has to be Mekies’, if not job number one, but very near the top of the list, to get it operating as a two-car team. To get this team properly challenging for the Constructors’ Championship. Because when you look at the effectiveness of McLaren, you can’t compete with them if you’ve only got one car.”
Red Bull is predicted to be at a disadvantage next season with the new 2026 engine regulations. The team is creating its first power unit, and it is reported to be behind other manufacturers. They need both cars to score as high as they can. If not, it could be a very difficult season for them next term.
