Brundle shares Max Verstappen ‘gut feeling’ after Jos ‘idiot’ comment

Martin Brundle does not see a plentiful supply of options outside of Red Bull for Max Verstappen, as rumours continue to swirl regarding his future.

Brundle’s “gut feeling” therefore is that Verstappen will remain with Red Bull for F1 2027. Brundle, however, did not discount the idea of Verstappen taking a sabbatical from Formula 1. Brundle’s new address of the Verstappen situation come after Jos Verstappen called Brundle an “idiot,” following the Sky F1 pundit’s ‘Team Verstappen’ comment.

Martin Brundle addresses Max Verstappen rumours

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For a second consecutive season, Verstappen’s Red Bull future has become the key talking point of the summer.

Rumblings of a McLaren move had been ongoing for a while, but this rumour ramped up to become the topic of discussion between the British and Belgian GPs.

Ahead of the action getting underway in Belgium, Brundle weighed in on the speculation.

Brundle, at Silverstone, declared that ‘Team Verstappen’ had “torpedoed” Red Bull management, only to enter talks with McLaren. Brundle was called an “idiot” by Verstappen’s father, Jos, for that statement.

Verstappen failed to shut down the McLaren rumours when grilled on the topic at Spa-Francorchamps.

In a fresh assessment of the Verstappen situation, Brundle told Sky F1: “Max obviously has a contract if he wants to stay at Red Bull.

“I’m not sure there are too many other places to go. The driver line-ups are largely settled at McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari, and they are the four top teams, Max is in the fourth, Red Bull.

“I’m sure they’ve been scouting around behind the scenes, because that’s the manager’s job, to find other opportunities and work out what’s going on in the market.

“There’s a lot of talk that they [Red Bull] might spring Oscar Piastri out of McLaren and do a swap, but that’s a lot more complex than it sounds. It’s very easy to make that headline.

“I think Max has also learned the hard way that whatever he says will, and can, be taken to mean something else. And, of course, if he doesn’t say anything, the same thing happens. So they clearly don’t want to speak about it at the moment.

“In a way, that’s private business. It always amazes me how many big meetings and deals are done in the paddock. You think, ‘Do that away from a Formula 1 race weekend,’ but that’s not how it goes.

“So my gut feeling is that Max will stay at Red Bull next year. A sabbatical? I don’t think it’s out of the question either.”

More on Max Verstappen from PlanetF1.com

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Max Verstappen willing to sacrifice speed after Red Bull’s rear wing scare

Verstappen’s Red Bull contract runs until the end of 2028.

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