Former F1 team principal Guenther Steiner no longer sees Mercedes as a realistic option for Max Verstappen, with the German team already having a superstar of its own in Kimi Antonelli.
Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast, Steiner suggested Verstappen would only consider leaving Red Bull for a team capable of offering him a clear competitive advantage, significantly limiting the number of realistic destinations available to the Dutchman. Despite Red Bull no longer enjoying the dominance of previous seasons, Steiner still considers the team one of Formula 1's four leading forces.
“If Max goes somewhere, obviously he wants to go somewhere which is better than Red Bull, and there is not many teams around better than Red Bull. Maybe Red Bull, in the moment, is not where they want to be, at the forefront like they were a few years ago, but it's still one of the big four good teams.”
Ferrari does not appear to represent a realistic destination due to its current driver line-up, while Steiner believes Mercedes has less reason to pursue Verstappen after discovering a talent capable of becoming its own version of the four-time world champion in Antonelli. That leaves McLaren as potentially the only alternative, although Steiner questioned whether a move there would genuinely represent an improvement over Red Bull.
Photo: Race Pictures
One factor that could work in Red Bull's favour is its status as a works operation with its own power unit, something Steiner views as an important advantage. While McLaren continues to perform strongly with Mercedes customer engines, he remains uncertain whether a genuine opportunity for Verstappen exists there despite previous speculation surrounding Piastri and Red Bull.
“I think at Ferrari, the seats are filled. 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. And hen was McLaren. But McLaren, until a few days ago, is like, are they really better than Red Bull? Because I think Red Bull has got one advantage. They've got their own engine now, which is an advantage, if you've got a works engine.
“I mean, McLaren is doing very well having a Mercedes customer engine, but in the end, that would be the only possibility. And I don't know if that possibility even exists. There was the rumour that maybe Oscar could go to Red Bull and things like this. I think that is the biggest thing for Max. If Max goes somewhere, he wants to go to the best team around.”
Verstappen impressed teammate Hadjar: 'He is on a different level on Sundays'
Although Verstappen is yet to claim a victory this year, Hadjar admitted that becoming his teammate inevitably brought some initial doubts and pressure, given the Dutchman's reputation and level of performance. However, the Frenchman feels his first part of the season has unfolded largely as he hoped.
Hadjar is also satisfied with his own progress, believing he is performing at a higher level than last season as he continues to gain experience in his second year. While he feels particularly confident about his pace over a single lap, he sees Sundays as the main area where there is still room for improvement.
In that respect, Verstappen has provided a clear benchmark. Hadjar has been particularly impressed by the way his teammate manages races, describing his ability on Sundays as being on another level. Improving that aspect of his own driving is therefore one of his main areas of focus.