While rumours persist about a sensational switch from F1 to Mercedes in 2025, the possibility of Max Verstappen leaving Red Bull is ruled out.
That’s the view of Verstappen’s former physiotherapist Bradley Scanes, who fears media and marketing pressures on drivers will alienate the reigning world champion from the sport.
Verstappen has established himself as the dominant force in modern F1, winning 48 of the last 71 races since the start of his maiden name campaign in 2021.
However, despite having a contract with Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season, the 26-year-old’s career has been mired in uncertainty in recent weeks amid the off-track sagas that have engulfed the team.
After an investigation into Christian Horner’s conduct was scrapped in February, Verstappen’s father Jos publicly called on the former team principal to resign from his role, accusing Horner of “playing the victim when he’s the one causing the problems. “
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Verstappen has been heavily linked with a move to Mercedes after Lewis Hamilton announced he would sign with Ferrari on a multi-year deal starting with F1 2025.
Verstappen Sr. appeared to add fuel to the fire on Wednesday, revealing that “everyone needs him” and underscoring the desire to “keep calm and see what happens” when it comes to the Red Bull driver’s future.
Speaking before Verstappen’s latest comments were revealed, Scanes claimed that his former client would likely remain unwavering with Red Bull as long as the team had a competitive car.
And he echoed Verstappen’s own claims that he will remain in F1 for years to come, with off-track pressures on drivers likely to lead to burnout.
Appearance on the Sky F1 podcast: “Max in a Red Bull suit would be very strange.
“He’s grown up on this team, he loves the team, he loves the mentality of the team, you can never say never. “
“I think as long as they’re competitive, he’ll be there.
“That can just replace him because he still needs to win. And if you don’t see a long winning streak, that’s when things will be replaced. “
“In terms of longevity in the sport, he’s probably not someone who’s going to stick around for a while (Fernando) Alonso or Hamilton. “
“He’ll do whatever he wants.
“And when he’s satisfied that he’s accomplished everything he wanted to do, whether it’s at 29, 30 or 34, it’s up to him.
“But of course now he’s been given a lot of other things, a lot of other things that he also enjoys, with his Redline team, his virtual races, other series that he needs to do with his dad and other races. also. .
“He’s a guy who likes to be at home, who likes to be with his friends, who likes to be with his circle of family and who doesn’t like the other things that come with F1: the media side, the marketing side, the other commitments that he has to make.
“And it’s going to be those things that will bring exceptional skill to F1, and I probably wouldn’t be the first to do that either. “
“The pressure on pilots to do those kinds of events, those meet-and-greets, this footage is growing.
“And when you go up the number of races we do, we’re going to start seeing burnout and stuff like that.
“Doing those things takes a lot of time and effort. “
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