Reigning Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen has been rumored to be linked with a sudden departure from Red Bull Racing. Verstappen had a strong start to the 2024 season but has struggled in recent weeks. The Dutchman has not celebrated a victory since his victory at the Spanish Grand Prix on June 23.
Since then, drivers such as George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri have won races, but Verstappen has only finished on the podium once. Now that we are in the summer break, there are reports linking Verstappen with a departure from Red Bull. Verstappen’s future was thrown into doubt when it was confirmed that chief designer Adrian Newey would be leaving the team earlier this year.
As reported by Italian news portal Autosprint, a deal has been agreed for Newey to move to Aston Martin F1 Team. Both parties are believed to have agreed on the package, which could be announced in September. The paper also claimed that in addition to Newey, Aston Martin boss Lawrence Stroll is also keen to bring Verstappen to the Silverstone team.
With Hamilton’s imminent move to Ferrari, Mercedes has also been rumoured to be linked with the 26-year-old, with the Dutchman’s future a constant topic of discussion this season. Asked about his future following Red Bull’s recent difficulties, Verstappen said: “I don’t think F1 works in a way that you can suddenly say ‘Goodbye, guys!'” “I have a long-term contract with the team, I’m very happy with the situation now and, as I said, we are already focused on next year on what we can implement in the car. As for where I’ll be racing next year, I think that’s enough.”
F1 resumes in two weeks with the Dutch Grand Prix at the Zandvoort Circuit on Sunday, August 25.
Fans can’t believe what Max Verstappen did during Belgian GP as new onboard footage emerges
Max Verstappen finished fourth in last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.
All eyes were on Spa-Francorchamps last weekend for the 80th Belgian Grand Prix. The reigning F1 World Champion started from 11th place due to a grid penalty for an engine change.
Despite starting from the back of the grid, the Red Bull superstar managed to work his way up to fifth place, but ultimately finished fourth after winner George Russell was disqualified for having too light a car.
New on-board footage from Verstappen’s car shows the 26-year-old giving a cheeky wave as Fernando Alonso passes him at high speed early in the race. Footage showed Verstappen travelling at a speed of 335 kilometres per hour as he waved goodbye to Alonso. According to Planet F1, in the DAZN documentary he said: “Verstappen was probably a bit more crazy in the early days and had some incidents and problems, but now he’s a very good driver on the track. Off the track I see a lot of similarities between him and me. We have the same interests, we love racing. We both love sport more than show.”
He added: “I put on the team kit, I go to the track, I race on Saturday and I go home on Sunday. And if we have free time, we race. We like the simple things and racing.
“That’s what I like most about Max and he hasn’t changed in that respect, despite his world titles.”
Meanwhile, Verstappen named Alonso one of the top five F1 drivers of all time. He said, “I think Fernando always shows himself as he is and I really respect that. Despite the success, he’s still a normal, good guy. “He was the first Spaniard to be successful in F1 and become world champion. I have a lot of respect for him.”
