Red Bull warned Verstappen cannot ‘carry’ team with F1 2027 options available

Committed to Red Bull for next season, Martin Brundle acknowledges Max Verstappen cannot continue to “carry” Red Bull when there are other options available to him in F1 2027.

After months of debate, speculation and clandestine meetings – some more based in fact than others – Verstappen has committed his future to Red Bull Racing.

Max Verstappen cannot ‘carry’ Red Bull, says Martin Brundle

But for 2026, that is.

Although the reigning F1 World Champion has three years to run on his Red Bull contract, his future in Formula 1 has been one of the hot topics over the last 18 months.

He put that to rest in Hungary where he confirmed that he would remain a Red Bull driver in the first season of F1’s all-new regulations.

“Yeah,” he told the media, including PlanetF1.com. “It’s quite interesting to follow all that, the amount of nice stories certainly that came out of it.

“But for me, I’ve never really said anything about it because I was just focused on talking to the team about how we can improve our performance, future ideas for next year as well, and that’s why I have nothing really to add ever.

“But I think it’s time to basically stop all the rumours and, for me, it’s always been quite clear that I was staying anyway.”

But already questions are being asked about whether or not he will see out the remaining years in his contract, with that dependent on Red Bull’s form in F1’s new technical era.

F1 2025: The season’s winners and losers

👉 The results of the F1 2025 championship

👉 The updated Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship standings

It is all change next season, as new chassis and engine regulations arrive.

The cars will become smaller and 30kg lighter, as DRS bows out and active aerodynamics take over. Meanwhile, new engines will be introduced to power the redesigned cars with a 50/50 split between electrical power and an internal combustion engine.

Brundle reckons Verstappen’s options for F1 2027 will open up at the end of next season with seats available at Ferrari, Mercedes and also Aston Martin.

“I think what Max will do now is take a view, see what happens,” the former F1 driver told Sky F1.

“The crystal ball has never been more opaque for a Formula 1 driver because of the changes with the chassis and the power unit for 2026.

“Who’s going to get it right?

“He knows that there will be a Ferrari seat, at least, a Mercedes seat, a Red Bull seat, and probably an Aston Martin seat available to him for ’27.”

Told the driver will need to decide which one “deserves his talent”, Brundle replied: “You can’t do that until they get out on the track.”

The one thing the nine-time podium finisher does know, is that Verstappen cannot continue to “carry” Red Bull.

“He’s put some laps in, I think I described one of his pole positions as laser-guided,” said the Briton.

“It was just a beautiful way he was controlling it. The car’s moving around, Max can handle that, he just changes his driving style a little bit and carries the speed.

“Super brave in Spa, for example, with a skinny downforce taking some of those really critical corners flat out, and he can do it.

“But, you know,” he continued, “you can’t pick a car and carry it for a whole season.”

Verstappen is, barring a miracle, on course to lose the Drivers’ title this season to McLaren but he is still fighting for a spot on the season’s podium where he is P3, 15 points ahead of George Russell.

Read next: Marko blasts Mercedes ‘difference’ amidst Antonelli’s F1 struggles