Guenther Steiner does not see many places for Max Verstappen to go.
On the Up To Speed podcast, the former Haas team principal all but ruled Mercedes out and cast doubt on whether McLaren is a genuine alternative for Verstappen, according to GPblog.
“At Mercedes, obviously, I think they found now the next Max Verstappen. So maybe they don’t need the real Max Verstappen in the moment,” Steiner said.
Kimi Antonelli went into the summer break with 219 points and a 50-point lead over Lewis Hamilton, after the Hungarian Grand Prix. Verstappen sits sixth on 109 points, more than 100 adrift.
Read also: Julian Alvarez denies Atletico apology as he demands urgent meeting over his future
Steiner doubts McLaren is even an upgrade
McLaren is the alternative that keeps being written about. Steiner is not convinced it is a real one.
“McLaren…would be the only possibility. And I don’t know if that possibility even exists,” he said.
His reasoning was competitive, not political. He questioned whether McLaren is genuinely faster than Red Bull, arguing that Red Bull’s works engine has clawed part of the advantage back.
“If Max goes somewhere, he wants to go to the best team around,” Steiner added.
Autosport’s analysis of the McLaren talk points in a similar direction from a different angle. Zak Brown has only ever opened the door in the abstract, saying that “if for some strange reason, someone slipped on a banana peel getting out of the tub, then of course Max is a four-time world champion”, while emphasizing that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are the drivers he plans to race.
Exit window open until October
Verstappen’s release clause activated when he went into the summer break outside the top two in the standings. He now has until October to tell Red Bull whether he wants out for 2027, GPFans reports.
The list of destinations is short. Ferrari retained Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, Mercedes have Antonelli committed alongside George Russell, and if Steiner is right McLaren neither wants nor needs a third title contender in its garage. That leaves a move elsewhere for 2027, a one-year sabbatical, or retirement, the three options flagged in the same report.
Home race at Zandvoort next
The next data point comes at home. The Dutch Grand Prix runs at Zandvoort on Sunday, 23 August, the twelfth round of the season and the last event on the venue’s current contract. Lights out is at 3pm local time.
Read also: Mourinho's LaLiga return starts with the defensive squeeze his summer requests could not stop
Read also: Cagliari star placed in induced coma after near-drowning in villa pool
