Fresh Red Bull headache as claims emerge that Max Verstappen wants out

Max Verstappen wants to leave Red Bull and could take a year away from F1 due to his lack of options, it has been claimed.

Red Bull’s unexpected struggles are worsening and F1 champion Verstappen is on a winless streak of six grands prix.

His lead at the top of the drivers’ standings has been cut to 62 points by Lando Norris, and he described his RB20 as “a monster” last weekend in Monza.

His misery during race weekends is plain and obvious but now Red Bull have been rocked by reports that their star driver wants out.

“The Verstappen clan has long since agreed: Max will not fulfil his contract until 2028,” German-Swiss newspaper Blick reported.

“Verstappen wants to leave as soon as possible - but where?”

Verstappen certainly won’t be going anywhere in 2025, with the entire grid almost confirmed after Mercedes pinned their hopes to Kimi Antonelli to replace Lewis Hamilton.

But, Toto Wolff has never shied away from expressing his admiration for Verstappen.

In 2026 the new Formula 1 regulations will kick in, and the talk within the paddock is that Mercedes could emerge with an engine to envy.

That would be a further setback for Red Bull’s development and could create new doubt over Verstappen’s future.

However, Mercedes’ faith in Antonelli to partner George Russell has the look of a long-term combination.

“Not impossible: Verstappen is taking a year off,” the report claims.

Stepping away from Formula 1 for a year would be a remarkable move for the driver who has dominated since the start of 2022.

Fernando Alonso is among the drivers to have taken a sabbatical then returned - although he hasn’t been able to return to championship-winning ways since his comeback.

Verstappen has regularly spoken about retiring early, unlike Hamilton or Alonso.

He is currently 26 years old and, despite his fury around the RB20’s demise, retains a 62-point advantage at the top of the F1 standings.

The trouble is that the internal chaos within Red Bull - which has involved Christian Horner, Verstappen’s father Jos, and Helmut Marko - has created uncertainty.

The same report also claims that the exits of Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley is a key factory in Verstappen questioning his future at Red Bull.