Former Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya has revealed the consequences Red Bull Racing could face if Max Verstappen decides to part ways with the team. This comes amid rumors of the four-time world champion’s strong links to the Mercedes F1 team.
Mercedes driver George Russell admitted that his contract extension discussions were on hold due to his team’s ongoing talks with Verstappen. Russell’s contract expires at the end of 2025, and the Briton pledged his loyalty to Mercedes, admitting he wasn’t in talks with any of the teams on the grid.
Verstappen’s struggles with Red Bull’s RB21 have been going on for a while, which has cost him the championship lead in the season so far. The recent ousting of Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has reportedly contributed to the uncertainty about the team’s future, especially given the beginning of a new era of regulations in 2026, when Red Bull will introduce its own power units, developed in collaboration with Ford.
Verstappen’s teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, is finding it challenging to adapt to the RB21 following his promotion to Red Bull in March. He has scored 10 points in the 12 races that have gone by, and is 17th in the Drivers’ Standings. Verstappen, on the other hand, is in third place with a tally of 165 points, 69 adrift of championship leader Oscar Piastri.
Montoya believes Red Bull is scoring a significant number of points because of Verstappen. But when he is gone, the team will need two strong drivers to fill the gap. Speaking to AS Colombia, as quoted by Planet F1, he said:
“We don’t know what’s going on at Red Bull. Max will now say, ‘It’s going to be interesting.’ We don’t know.
“Max is worth as much as half to two-thirds of the entire grid, because at the moment Red Bull is a team that only scores points thanks to Max.
“If they lose Max, they will really need to invest in two drivers and try to get the same number of points with those two that Max gets on his own. I think this is what they will try.”
As well as Tsunoda and Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson, Montoya opened up about Red Bull’s junior drivers who are being trained for a future Red Bull seat. However, he claimed that none are ready to take Verstappen’s place. Starting with Arvid Lindblad, he said:
“For Lindblad, who is now driving in Formula 2, the next step is a switch to Racing Bulls. I don’t know if he’s the solution. He should first drive for a season with Racing Bulls.”
Isack Hadjar, who made his F1 debut this year with Racing Bulls, probably needs another year, according to Montoya. He added:
“I wouldn’t give Hadjar a seat either. He needs to gain more confidence first. He is doing very well in his first season, but I think he needs at least one more year at Racing Bulls. A driver needs confidence and stability. At the moment his career is going well, but how many careers have we seen lost?”
With no driver capable enough to replace Verstappen yet, Red Bull could face serious consequences if he chose to part ways.
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