The Third Option: A Totally Logical, Next Move for Verstappen

I have been recently listening to F1 pundits debating Max Verstappen's future in F1, and there seems to really be one or two prevailing theories. Both of which are quite boring. Either, one, he stays put. This is the most realistic choice, a lot of his career has been attributed to Red Bull and he is most likely to remain there. Or, two, he leaves the sport all together. He has been successful in his newly budding GT Racing career, and the rebrand of his Sim Racing company to "Verstappen Racing" suggests the beginning of some sort of racing and driver management aspirations.

I think however, there is a third option, and its not a move to Mercedes or Aston Martin...

Lets just say his fiercely loyal followers in the Orange Army aren't going to have to buy new shirts.

That's right! I think that Max's next move should be to Woking, with the McLaren F1 team.

Is it a bit unhinged? Yep! Is it realistic? Nope! Are there some logical reasons that this could actually make some sense? Let’s put on our tinfoil hats for a second and take a look.

Its no secret that the 2026 season has been a bag of mixed results for Verstappen and Red Bull. Now with the FIA deciding Red Bull gets no additional Engine upgrades (See F1 ADUO. Long story short; Red Bull has been deemed to have the best engines in the sport right now and are granted no additional upgrades, Where Mercedes are allowed to upgrade) this might call into question the ability Red Bull has to bring in a fully competitive car to the grid.

In the wild world of F1 car development, you essentially have two main avenues: Power Unit and Chassis development. McLaren doesn't build their own engines, they are a customer team of Mercedes so there is no PU development at McLaren to slow them down. They are arguably the absolute champions of mid-season chassis development. I'm not sure they are the greatest in head to head design, but when it comes to the sheer ability to make effective, rapid-fire changes, no one touches Woking. Just look at their recent championship run. At the start of 2024, they were barely scraping the bottom of the points-scoring barrel. By 2025? They had aggressively developed a title-winning rocket ship. Verstappen would thrive in a car that evolves aggressively, and McLaren delivers mid-season upgrades better than anyone else.

If max does end up at McLaren he wont be surrounded completely by unfamiliar faces. McLaren has recently pulled some very key personnel away from Red Bull. Will Courtenay served as Red Bulls Head of Race Strategy through all of Max's title runs and is now serving as the Sporting Director at McLaren. Rob Marshall was the Chief Engineering Officer at Red Bull for 17 years. His hiring in 2024 can be directly linked to the immediate turn around of McLarens trajectory, winning a constructors title the following year. And most recently the poaching of Verstappen's long time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase (G.P.) to serve as Chief racing officer. He will be in charge of trackside operations. These familiar faces would have to let max know that there are people in major operational positions that run a structure he likes and he would work well with.

Then there’s the cultural fit. McLaren’s famous "Papaya Rules" essentially dictated that both drivers are free to race hard without heavy-handed team orders ruining the fun. If there is one thing Verstappen demands, it’s the absolute freedom to throw a car up the inside without a voice in his ear telling him to hold station. Let them race? Max practically embodies the phrase.

We also have to talk about Max's true love: Sim racing. Max has been spotted online more than once virtually racing in his living room at 2:00 AM before a race. McLaren already has a massive footprint in the E-Sports racing world, complete with established brand deals from major sim racing hardware companies. They wouldn't just support his off-track endeavors, but there would likely be "Verstappen Racing brought to you by McLaren F1 E-sports" branded sim equipment.

Is it a completely hairbrained theory? Absolutely. But when you look at the rapid development pace, the familiar engineering faces, and the color coordination...... Woking just makes sense.