Verstappen wins again, skirting questions of Red Bull future

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia – After comfortably winning the Saudi Grand Prix on Saturday, Max Verstappen and Red Bull are heading toward another championship season. However, both refuse to be the first to blink at the growing mystery of the three-time Formula 1 world champion's future beyond 2024.

The kind of victory seen at Jeddah's Corniche Circuit on Saturday night is what we expect from this dominant Red Bull team. Verstappen led from pole, only briefly dropping to second after an early safety car, and was so far ahead that he lowered his engine tuning late.

It was completely routine, and he will certainly benefit from many more in 2024.

Which raises an intriguing question for any fan watching: why would anyone leave such a good team? And yet, this is the question that has been asked all week in Saudi Arabia, because Verstappen's opinion on the subject is not really known.

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On February 28, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was cleared in an investigation by Red Bull GmbH, but controversy surrounding the case – and speculation about its consequences – continued to swirl .

Last Sunday, Verstappen's father Jos said the team “risked being torn apart” if Horner remained team principal. Max Verstappen on Wednesday avoided discussing his father's pointed criticism, but said he does not envisage a day when he races in F1 without his father by his side. After qualifying on Friday evening, Verstappen said his future at Red Bull was linked to that of his adviser Helmut Marko, who had noted he was potentially facing suspension from the Milton Keynes team.

Hours after the Dutch driver claimed his second victory in two races, Horner denounced his star's veiled allusions to his departure from the team 24 hours earlier, opening the door for the Dutchman to walk away from what could be the greatest team ever assembled.

“You can never say never,” Horner said on Saturday evening about the prospect of Verstappen leaving. “If a driver doesn't want to be somewhere, then he'll go somewhere else. But as a team, I don't see any reason why anyone would want to leave this team. I think he has great support around him and he's doing a wonderful job with a great car.”

The car is really great too. Verstappen took the checkered flag 13.643 seconds ahead of teammate Sergio Pérez. Charles Leclerc crossed the finish line in his Ferrari 18.639 seconds behind.

As such, Red Bull is expected to waltz towards the title this year, and with teams expected to be distracted next year by 2026's regulatory changes, its advantage may well be locked in until the end of this current cycle. It wouldn't be a far-fetched statement to suggest that Verstappen will be a five-time world champion when F1's new rules come into play, assuming he stays at Red Bull.

This is why the idea of ​​Verstappen walking away from an all-conquering dynasty would have seemed like pure fantasy only a few weeks ago, but the idea has gained ground since the start of the season. The idea dominated Wednesday's media day and was still being talked about after the race ended Saturday.

“Let’s put it this way,” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said after the Grand Prix. “I think it’s a decision that Max has to make, and there’s no team – on the grid – that wouldn’t do a handstand to have him in the car.”

Wolff, Horner's long-time nemesis, would relish the opportunity to steal his rival's generational talent. Wolff's driver George Russell said earlier in the week that Verstappen should “100%” be at the top of Mercedes' list if he is available to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton.

Regardless of the risk of losing his prodigious driver to a rival and Vertappen seemingly having no shortage of suitors, Horner has refused to back down.

“You can’t force someone to go somewhere just because of a piece of paper,” Horner said. “If someone doesn't want to be on this team, then…we're not going to force someone against their will to be here.”

From conversations in the paddock, both with sources within Red Bull and other teams, there is a growing feeling that if the Verstappens have been playing a game of chicken, they are most likely to to move back.

Red Bull appears to have the stronger hand, considering the car it will have in 2025. Drivers like two-time world champion Fernando Alonso are monitoring every development.

Verstappen's options, meanwhile, are more disappointing.

“I would love to have it, but we have to get our car sorted out first,” Wolff said. It's a painful reality for Verstappen should he seriously consider leaving, given Russell finished 39.936 seconds behind the Dutchman in Jeddah and 46.788 seconds behind in the season opener in Bahrain.

Whatever the next development in this saga, there is no doubt about Horner's position: “We are a team, and no individual is bigger than the team,” he said.

Red Bull's brinkmanship strategy shows no signs of slowing down, with the F1 paddock set to assemble ahead of the Australian Grand Prix on March 24. Remarkably, while this storm rages in the garage, Verstappen and Red Bull look stronger than ever on the track. Before.