Red Bull have set their sights set on one F1 competitor if they lose world champion Max Verstappen, according to Will Buxton. Verstappen is under contract until the end of 2028 but his future is uncertain.
Mercedes, who will lose Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari at the end of the season, are going all out to sign the Dutchman. Toto Wolff is willing to offer him a ‘considerably’ higher salary than Hamilton, as well as a long-term post-racing ambassadorial deal.
Team principal Wolff has also hatched a plan to poach Red Bull’s chief engineer Pierre Wache in the hope of luring Verstappen. Writing on his X account, Buxton has detailed the team’s contingency plans.
The 26-year-old has little incentive to leave Christian Horner’s team in the near future. He’s won the last three world champions with the Bulls, the last two in dominant fashion, and is the overwhelming favourite to add a fourth this year.
The expectation is that it will be five by the end of the 2025 season, with Red Bull set to remain on top until the regulations change in 2026. That, however, could shake up the running order, and Verstappen will want to ensure he’s at the team where he has the best possible chance of winning.
Two teammates have impressed Red Bull
According to F1TV presenter Buxton, the ‘most likely’ option right now is that Sergio Perez stays put for 2025 alongside Verstappen. Perez has made a solid start to the season with three runner-up finishes in four races.
In those circumstances, they have ‘no reason’ to make a change. Although it’s worth noting that Carlos Sainz, the victim of Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, still has a ‘chance’.
Then there’s also the (slim) prospect of Verstappen making a seismic exit, but Red Bull already have their eye on possible replacements. Buxton says they’ll likely sign a McLaren driver as his successor.
Lando Norris signed a new deal in the winter that runs until the end of 2028, so the Bulls may have to stump up a huge fee to prise him away. Oscar Piastri, meanwhile, is under contract for two more full seasons.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could both be world champions
It’s no surprise whatsoever that Norris and Piastri are top of Red Bull’s list. They’re two of the four youngest drivers in F1, and yet they’re also perhaps the two most exciting.
While Norris now holds the record for most podium finishes without a race win (14), it’s only a matter of time before that changes. He’s also bagged a pole position in his career, so clearly has the raw speed too.
Piastri is less experienced, having only joined F1 at the start of 2023. After a steady start, he ended up putting together the best rookie campaign the sport had seen since Hamilton in 2007.
While the Australian scored a couple of podiums, the highlight of his year was unquestionably the Sprint Race in Qatar. That was one of only two instances all year where somebody beat Red Bull to the chequered flag.
Compatriot Alan Jones thinks he has what it takes to become a future world champion, while journalist Peter Windsor feels Piastri has the edge in terms of potential. The bigger question now is how long McLaren can keep the coveted partnership together.
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