F1 Veteran Predicts Dark Future for Red Bull ‘if Max Verstappen Leaves’

Ex-F1 driver Ricciardo Patrese made a shocking prediction about Red Bull being forgotten by everyone after Max Verstappen leaves the team.

F1 Veteran Predicts Dark Future for Red Bull ‘if Max Verstappen Leaves’

Max Verstappen and Gianpiero Lambiase (via IMAGO)

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Red Bull is currently undergoing a desperate performance slump with seemingly no immediate fix to the problems. Amid the struggles, Max Verstappen was the center of intense rumors to join Mercedes as soon as the 2026 season. However, the Dutchman put an end to the rumors and declared that he was going to continue racing for Milton Keynes. Still, F1 icon Ricciardo Patrese predicted the Austrian outfit’s condition if Verstappen were to leave anytime soon.

Max Verstappen has emerged as the major point scorer for Red Bull, achieving 187 out of 194 total for the team. If Verstappen’s points were removed from the mix, Milton Keynes would be last in the constructors’ standings currently. As such, it is of no surprise that the Dutchman is holding the entire crew together with his dominant performances.

Ricciardo Patrese predicted Red Bull’s state if Max Verstappen left the outfit amid the rumors. Patrese insisted that with the 27-year-old gone, people would forget the team even existed. The Italian believes this will ultimately happen to Milton Keynes in the coming years. The 71-year-old pointed out that the team is already heading in a ‘backward’ direction, with Christian Horner axed, Adrian Newey departing for Aston Martin, and Jonathan Wheatley moving to Audi.

Once Verstappen leaves Red Bull Racing you can forget about it. I think Red Bull is going to be like this. No more Horner, Newey, Wheatley, so at the end of the day, they are going backwards.

Ricciardo Patrese said, as reported by GPblog

Ricciardo Patrese reckoned that the 2026 season could be decent enough for Red Bull, with Max Verstappen continuing his stay. Patrese predicted that at most, the team could score a couple of podiums and wins, and end up in the fifth spot in the standings. However, as soon as Verstappen left the outfit, the team would be forgotten and dwindle to the extreme back of the pack.

Maybe next year they will survive because they have Verstappen, maybe with one win, then a podium, then another podium, then a fifth place. But then, when Max leaves, forget it.

Ricciardo Patrese added

Ricciardo Patrese asserts Red Bull ‘cannot come back’ without Max Verstappen

Red Bull is currently P4 in the constructors’ standings and is 365 points adrift of the championship. As such, the constructors’ title is already impossible for the team to achieve. Moreover, Max Verstappen is trailing the championship leader Oscar Piastri by 69 points and has crushing hopes of fighting for the title. As such, Ricciardo Patrese makes a disappointing statement about the team and their chances in the title battle.

Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko (via Red Bull)
Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko (via Red Bull)

Ricciardo Patrese insisted that Red Bull was ‘off’ in terms of being a dominant team. He emphasized that the team couldn’t come back from their current desperate state. Patrese noted that without the right people leading the outfit, their chances of resurrecting their pace were already next to impossible. The Italian drew a parallel with Williams and how the team existed, but was far from competitive now.

I think that Red Bull is off. They cannot come back. Why should they? From my point of view, they don’t come back. If they don’t have the right person, any team can drop away, and they cannot go to the top. If you look at all the teams, even Williams, when the good people disappear, they still exist but are not winning.

Ricciardo Patrese noted

The 2025 season only has ten more races to go after the culmination of the summer break. Max Verstappen will give it his all in the final races and hopes to improve his position in the pecking order. Red Bull has a massive ground of performance to cover against the rival if they want to return back to their winning ways.

Read More: Helmut Marko Admits Red Bull ‘Counting on’ Max Verstappen for 2026 Title Fight