Max Verstappen may be stepping into a new chapter in his career, in Martin Brundle’s view. The former Formula 1 driver and current Sky Sports commentator believes it should not take long for the four-time champion to leave Red Bull Racing in search of fresh challenges, following a path similar to the one adopted by Lewis Hamilton.
The assessment comes amid a difficult moment for Verstappen. The Dutch driver walked away from the British Grand Prix after an incident caused by a problem with the rear wing’s active aero system, while speculation about a possible move to another team continues to swirl.
According to Brundle, Red Bull’s exit could happen at the end of this season or the next, though he considers a move in 2027 or 2028 more likely. For the former driver, closing a long run with a team can represent a major renewal in a competitor’s career.
“I think, if he can leave, it will be at some point in 2027 or 2028, to do something new. We’ve seen other drivers do this. Lewis Hamilton, for example, sought a restart and a new challenge after spending a long time with the same team,” Brundle said.
The commentator also highlighted that Verstappen backed Red Bull’s new power unit project, a decision which, in his view, has proved to be the right one given the performance shown by the equipment so far.
At the same time, Brundle believes that the possibilities for a potential team change are quite limited. According to him, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes—the only options he considers viable for Verstappen—seem to be committed to their current driver pairings at least through the end of 2027 and, in many cases, for an even longer period.
“He trusted Red Bull’s new power unit, and that turned out to be a very good decision. The problem is that there are only three teams Max could look at—Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes—and all of them seem deeply committed to their current driver lineups, at least through 2027 and, in many cases, for a longer period,” Brundle concluded.
