Ex-F1 driver claims Max Verstappen will leave Red Bull if he ‘sees an advantage elsewhere’

Gerhard Berger reckoned that Max Verstappen would not shy away from leaving Red Bull if a rival team had better prospects in the future.

Max Verstappen, Helmut Marko, and Christian Horner (Via: Imago)

Former F1 driver Gerhard Berger expressed his opinions about Max Verstappen’s future in an interview. Berger stated that Verstappen might change teams at the end of the season, following the departure of aero genius Adrian Newey from Red Bull.

Berger believes that currently, Red Bull is the best team for the Dutchman, but they are facing issues with the car which they didn’t have at the beginning of the season. Red Bull is now at the same level as Ferrari and McLaren, according to the Austrian. The ex-F1 driver claimed that Max Verstappen wouldn’t continue if Helmut Marko left the team.

Max is certainly reflecting on how things will continue without his mentor Helmut Marko and technical guru Adrian Newey.

Gerhard Berger told Bild

The former F1 driver reckoned that if the issues with the car continue and Verstappen sees other teams getting better, he may plan to switch teams at the end of the season to have a better chance of winning. Berger claimed that Max Verstappen will actively seek the best opportunity to win races.

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Red Bull is definitely the best fit at the moment, but when Max realizes that his car is starting to weaken and sees an advantage elsewhere, he will seize this opportunity.

Gerhard Berger added

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Gerhard Berger claims Max Verstappen knows Mercedes not fast enough

When asked about Verstappen’s potential move to Mercedes, Berger expressed his thoughts. The Austrian stated that the Silver Arrows still lack pace, and their car is not at the level of Red Bull at the moment. In this situation, Berger doesn’t see Max Verstappen joining them.

Max Verstappen (L), George Russell (R) (images via IMAGO)

The Austrian further stated that Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is trying his best to have Verstappen by his side after Lewis Hamilton’s departure next season. However, it’s simply not possible because even if the Dutchman wouldn’t be enough to make Mercedes win races. Berger added that the main problem lies with its car, not the drivers. As Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were two incredible drivers who had failed to achieve results at Brackley in the past couple of seasons.

At the moment I don't see him there. Toto Wolff is trying hard to catch him, but even Max knows that his driving talent would not be enough to put Mercedes back on the road to victory . The car is not fast enough, because it has two excellent drivers in Russell and Hamilton.

Gerhard Berger stated

Therefore, Gerhard Berger believes Max Verstappen might consider changing teams if Red Bull’s car continues to face issues. While Toto Wolff desires the Dutchman, fans of the three-time champions would find it interesting to see him in the Silver Arrows seat if they manage to improve their car’s performance in upcoming races, allowing Verstappen to join them in 2025.

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