All eyes will be on Red Bull and Max Verstappen at the Miami Grand Prix after the bombshell news about Adrian Newey. The team confirmed on Wednesday that Newey would leave in early 2025.
Many will now be wondering what this means for the future of Verstappen given Newey’s influential role in designing his three title-winning cars. His father Jos may have set off alarm bells at Milton Keynes after warning that the team is now at risk of ‘falling apart’.
Verstappen is under contract until 2028, but that deal isn’t completely watertight. While there’s no clause that allows him to leave now that Newey is gone, he can depart if Helmut Marko is next.
And what’s more, there’s ‘chatter in the paddock’ that the Dutchman will have the option to back out of his deal if he’s dissatisfied with the team’s 2026 project. That will be the first car subject to the extensive regulation changes.
Verstappen is expected to dominate until at least the end of next year given the extent of Red Bull’s current advantage. But with fundamental changes to both the engine and the chassis on the horizon, that position of superiority will come under threat.
His former trainer believes he’ll only walk away if he has a better chance of winning elsewhere. And that’s why David Croft’s latest comments could be significant.
David Croft shares paddock talk about 2026 Red Bull
Red Bull will also be solely responsible for building their own power units come 2026 as their partnership with Honda comes to an end. That engine will run with Ford badges, but they still find themselves in uncharted territory.
And according to Croft, there’s talk that they haven’t been able to match their rivals at this stage. The 2026 power units will rely much more heavily on electrical power, though the MGU-H is no more.
Croft wonders if the underwhelming early forecasts could have ramifications for the future of the world champion. He’ll certainly be monitoring developments closely behind the scenes.
He said: “Is Max Verstappen that impressed with the engine programme for 2026? [There are] rumours that Red Bull aren’t quite as well advanced as other teams.”
Is Max Verstappen going to Mercedes?
While Newey holds talks over a move to Ferrari, there’s a possibility that Red Bull could lose Verstappen to another rival in Mercedes. Recent reports have suggested that the Silver Arrows will offer him a world-record contract.
They need a replacement for the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton, although they may have to wait until 2026. That could necessitate a stop-gap signing like Carlos Sainz or even former reserve driver Esteban Ocon.
It’s also been claimed that Toto Wolff will hold a meeting with Verstappen after this weekend’s race in Miami. Mercedes stole a march on the field when we last saw a rules reset of this magnitude in 2014.
You’d imagine that Wolff has welcomed the recent developments at Red Bull, and especially Jos Verstappen’s comments. He may sense an opportunity to capitalise, ignoring Horner’s warning to focus on his own team.
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