Red Bull needs Max Verstappen more than he needs Milton Keynes

Max Verstappen is undoubtedly the biggest factor in Red Bull's recent success in Formula 1.

Red Bull needs Max Verstappen more than he needs Milton Keynes

Christian Horner and Max Verstappen (Via: Imago)

Max Verstappen has raced for Red Bull Racing since 2016 and has been part of the driver academy for a decade. The Dutch driver has achieved incredible success with Milton Keynes over the years. However, rumors have begun circulating over his future at the Austrian team.

Verstappen is currently contracted to Red Bull till 2028. However, this has not stopped Mercedes’ Toto Wolff from publicly expressing interest in signing the Dutchman for 2026. Moreover, tensions between Max Verstappen‘s father Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner has not helped matters.

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So far, the reigning world champion has made it clear that he will stay at Red Bull for the foreseeable future. However, one thing seems to be certain, Red Bull needs Max Verstappen more than he needs Milton Keynes.

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Max Verstappen is the main reason for Red Bull’s success in 2024

Red Bull dominated F1 in the ground-effect era. However, majority of this success came from Max Verstappen. While Sergio Perez has struggled to match the Dutch driver. This trend continued this year. Although, this time around, it appears that Verstappen is the main reason for the team’s wins.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez
Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez (Via: Imago)

The reigning world champion has been in a league of his own in the past couple of seasons and has shattered multiple records. Subsequently, Verstappen has won seven races this season compared to none from Perez. This became even clearer at the Austrian GP, when Max Verstappen finished ahead of Checo despite having a puncture and making a last-minute pitstop. Although, the Mexican driver had incurred sidepod damage during the race.

Red Bull is aware that it depends a lot on Max Verstappen. This could be the reason for public comments from Christian Horner over Verstappen’s Red Bull contract. However, this could become overdependency if the team does not improve its performance in the coming races. As such, Horner and his squad must ensure that the Dutch driver does not become too big of a factor than he already is for the Austrian team.

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