2024 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

[mendis]

Very important to start 2025 off well otherwise it will be an easy decision for Verstappen to jump ship and leave RB without a single decent driver

I think that is a true statement...BUT make it for 2026. That's when the next big regulation change happens and its a 'ball in anyone's court' for active aero AND a new power unit in the back of the car.

As for F1, I really dont think Max is out there to set new records each year. Yes he does it, but I really really dont think he wants to have 8 WDC titles. I think Max would rather know when he's not at the peak of his performance (whenever that may be) and sit back and pursue his dream of having a race team and running that.

I had heard these kind of things about Lewis too! Leaving hundreds of millions on the table and walking away is not an easy thing for anyone, even if they already have hundreds of millions in the bank.

[Bill]

Very important to start 2025 off well otherwise it will be an easy decision for Verstappen to jump ship and leave RB without a single decent driver

Redbull have no interest in putting a "decent" driver next to Max so we never going to find out those drivers are.rookie Gasly was on average 0.4 tenth slower than Max when he started .if they stuck with him he would have improved and learned.they were hostile to him because he wanted to challenge Max.Max when he started at redbull was 0.3 tenth behind Daniel but he gradually improved and ended up faster.the ground effect car are a different beast they humbled many great experienced drivers so you never know how a young driver would perform if you put him in a redbull.

[gshevlin]

I had heard these kind of things about Lewis too! Leaving hundreds of millions on the table and walking away is not an easy thing for anyone, even if they already have hundreds of millions in the bank.

I remember reading an interview with Nico Rosberg where he said that he left over $100m on the table in commercial opportunities by deciding to retire after winning the championship in 2016. However, he knew that he had given absolutely everything that season and did not think he could do it again.

[KimiRai]

Very important to start 2025 off well otherwise it will be an easy decision for Verstappen to jump ship and leave RB without a single decent driver

Maybe 2026, not 2025 in my opinion.

[gshevlin]

Just about every driver has a break clause in their contract for the end of the 2026 season, so that if their team is performing poorly under the new rules, they can change to a different team. Max undoubtedly has a "Vettel" clause in his contract that would allow him to terminate it if he is lower than a certain place in the Drivers Championship on a certain date (in the case of Vettel, he accepted an offer from Ferrari in September of 2024).