Max Verstappen “won’t be” at Red Bull at the start of the F1 2026 season amid persistent rumours of a move to Mercedes. That is the opinion of former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos, who believes it will “be difficult” for the team to convince the newly crowned four-time World Champion to stay beyond next season.

Lando Norris has insisted he wouldn’t have won the 2024 Formula 1 title even with a “perfect season” as Red Bull was never as uncompetitive as McLaren at the start. McLaren’s miraculous mid-season turnaround last term saw it end the campaign as the closest contender to Red Bull, but Ferrari assumed the mantle as 2024 began.

Despite Max Verstappen securing his fourth world championship title, his father, Jos Verstappen, noted that Max is no longer consistently winning races. Given t