Jos Verstappen has never been one for letting a narrative breathe. And he certainly wasn’t about to let Martin Brundle’s latest “Team Verstappen” theory settle into paddock fact without a reaction.
After Brundle suggested on Sky’s Silverstone broadcast that Verstappen’s inner circle had “torpedoed” Red Bull’s management structure — and then wandered into talks with McLaren — Max’s father went straight for the jugular on social media, branding the former F1 driver turned TV analyst “an idiot” and dismissing the idea that Brundle had any real handle on what’s happening behind the scenes.
It’s the kind of flare-up that, on the surface, looks like little more than an angry parent swatting away a pundit’s hot take. But the reason it’s got traction is simple: in 2026, Red Bull’s once-unshakeable aura has been replaced by uncertainty, and Verstappen’s future is the centre of it.
Brundle’s comments were framed as a continuation of a longer story — one that really began back in 2024, when Red Bull’s internal tensions became public and Verstappen still managed to win a fourth straight title ahead of Lando Norris. Christian Horner was cleared after an investigation into allegations of improper conduct, but the noise around the team didn’t vanish, and the competitive picture tightened enough to make the politics matter more than it used to.
From there, the list of departures and changes grew: Adrian Newey’s exit was confirmed, Jonathan Wheatley moved on, and in 2025 — days after the British Grand Prix — Red Bull announced it had parted ways with Horner with immediate effect. Helmut Marko then left in December. Now, with Paul Monaghan also on the way out, Brundle essentially argued that “Team Verstappen” didn’t just nudge the dominoes over — it lined them up.
“My goodness, they wanted to torpedo the management of Red Bull, didn’t they?” Brundle said, before pointing to Horner, Newey, Marko and Wheatley and adding: “Now we know Paul Monaghan is leaving.”
You can see why that would irritate the Verstappens. Brundle wasn’t merely observing instability; he was assigning motive and credit — suggesting a deliberate campaign, executed “very well indeed”, to remove key figures. That’s a big accusation in a sport where reputations are currency and where the line between political analysis and character judgement can get blurry fast.
Brundle then leaned into the other half of the story: the paddock whispers that Verstappen’s camp has at least sounded out McLaren. He didn’t dress it up as a scandal so much as a reality of F1’s closed ecosystem.
“It’s a very small world down there,” Brundle said. “We’re always in the same 400 meters of concrete and asphalt every other weekend… Every weekend, it’s their job to find out who’s available, and also when.”
Whether that’s insight or educated shrug depends on your view of Brundle — and on how combustible Red Bull’s situation feels right now.
Verstappen, after all, remains contracted to Red Bull through the end of 2028. But the relevant part isn’t the headline date, it’s the reported clause: an exit route if he isn’t second in the drivers’ championship at the summer break. That sort of performance-based trigger is precisely the kind of detail that turns ordinary mid-season form into a referendum on a driver’s future — and it’s why any mention of Mercedes or McLaren immediately gets oxygen.
For his part, Max Verstappen has been conspicuously calm in public, if not particularly committal. He’s stated he will be on the grid next season “definitely”, but he’s also made it clear he’s not rushing to confirm where. Speaking to De Telegraaf, the 28-year-old struck a tone that’s become familiar whenever the rumours spike: relaxed, almost dismissive, but careful not to close any doors.
“I’m not in a hurry, am I?” Verstappen said. “I would prefer to stay connected to Red Bull for the rest of my life, I’ve always said that. But making that decision doesn’t have to be made today or tomorrow.
“Whether it is here or somewhere else; there is much more to it than just the Formula 1 contract. I’m also talking about all the other projects. I am also talking to Red Bull about that.
“I am very relaxed about it myself. We shouldn’t make it too dramatic. Even if it doesn’t work out, it’s fine for me. That’s how I am in life.”
That last line lands differently depending on who’s reading it. For Red Bull, it’s not exactly comforting language from a driver around whom the entire operation has been built. For the rest of the pitlane, it reads like leverage without theatrics: Verstappen doesn’t need to threaten anyone — he can simply refuse to be boxed in.
And that brings us back to Jos Verstappen’s outburst. On one level, it’s classic Jos: combative, protective, disdainful of commentary that he feels reduces complex internal dynamics to a neat storyline. On another, it underlines how sensitive this has become. If the idea of “Team Verstappen” steering Red Bull’s power structure is truly nonsense, it’s still a theory with enough plausibility — given the turnover since 2024 — to be worth killing quickly and loudly.
Brundle will keep doing what Brundle does: connecting dots in public, sometimes convincingly, sometimes contentiously. Red Bull will keep trying to stabilise after a sequence of high-profile exits. And Verstappen will keep winning races and refusing to sound remotely stressed about any of it — which, in its own way, is the most unsettling detail of all.
