Max’s Annoyances
The continuous ‘stomach aches’ of Max Verstappen, little attracted to these new Formula 1 cars generated by the 2026 regulations and who seems increasingly tempted by the idea of leaving the Circus or at least by the possibility of breaking free from Red Bull – he could do so by exploiting the almost certain activation of some clauses in his contract – to put himself on the market, force the Austro-British team to realistically consider the possibility of not having the Dutchman in the car in 2027.
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Of course, the main plan of team principal Laurent Mekies and the entire Red Bull management group is to persuade Verstappen not to leave the team, but if this should happen there is a need to be ready. We wrote to you in recent days that there would be ‘pressure’ from above on Mekies to decide to promote a prospect grown in the Red Bull academy to the first team and the two favorites would be Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad.
Piastri as an ‘external’ option
But despite this ‘suggestion’, within the Milton Keynes team obviously different possibilities are also being considered. According to an article published on the official F1 website by journalist and commentator Alex Jacques, Red Bull’s first choice for a possible post-Verstappen would actually be Oscar Piastri. The Australian is young and fast and at McLaren, after Norris’s title last year, he might feel a bit blocked, while it is clear that at Red Bull he would inherit all the ‘attention’ currently reserved for Verstappen.
The hypothesis of what would be a sensational transfer is however difficult to realize for several reasons: first of all Piastri has recently signed a multi-year contract with McLaren and Zak Brown and Andrea Stella are counting heavily on him. So they would never agree to the possibility of giving the green light to the exit of Melbourne’s #81. Furthermore, leaving the Mercedes-powered McLaren to sit in a scarcely competitive Red Bull would be a huge gamble for Piastri, who would risk ‘burning’ crucial years of his career. Finally, it should not be forgotten that Piastri is also a Monster Energy man, a brand that is a direct competitor of Red Bull. Also from a sponsorship point of view, therefore, it would be a very complex switch.
However, beware of precedents: Piastri has already shown in the past, at the time of his split from Alpine, that he is not afraid to clash with his employers if he insists on a decision concerning his future. However, it seems unlikely that this is the case.
