The day that Red Bull fans dreaded the most might be upon them. Adrian Newey’s shock resignation has pushed the first domino that is predicted to end with Max Verstappen‘s exit. Though Newey and Team Principal Christian Horner shared kind words for each other in Red Bull’s statement, the rumored internal tension seems to be at an all-time high. At this dicey junction, Michael Schumacher’s brother, Ralf Schumacher, has claimed that Verstappen will 100% leave Red Bull.

“The team is in danger of falling apart,” said Max’s father, Jos Verstappen after Newey’s ill-timed exit. With this, Ralf Schumacher’s ominous prophecy came true. The German driver had predicted that the reigning champions would collapse if Christian Horner continued as Team Principal. While Red Bull’s on-track performance is expected to stay stable under Technical Director Pierre Wache’s leadership, this brewing instability indicates worse to come.

“Max Verstappen will leave the team alongside other good engineers who are guaranteed to go elsewhere, some of them with Adrian Newey,” Schumacher told Sky Sports Deutschland, as quoted by Total-Motorsport. “It [Verstappen leaving] will happen next year or the year after. But I am certain that he’ll leave Red Bull,” he added.

Schumacher’s predictions have quite often materialized to be true, however crude. With Mercedes already chasing the three-time champion, we could witness Red Bull’s downward spiral if he unexpectedly leaves. Despite such constant uneasiness, former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone believes otherwise.

Bernie Ecclestone rubbishes “silly” Max Verstappen exit theories

Ever since the Christian Horner investigation went public, Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko have stressed on how “peace” is the need of the hour within Red Bull. The rumored ‘power struggle’, however, which Jos Verstappen confirmed, hasn’t affected the Dutchman’s performance. This leads ‘F1 Supremo’ Bernie Ecclestone to believe that Verstappen is with Christian Horner & Co. for the long haul.

Ecclestone told RN365 that Verstappen is “too intelligent to do that (leave Red Bull)”. The 93-year-old also emphasized on how absurd these rumors sound. “What would he gain? To go where? It’d be silly to move. There’s nowhere he could go where I think he would get exactly the same service as you get at Red Bull.”

Ecclestone’s point is very reasonable. Red Bull’s rivals cannot promise something more than Verstappen already has at Red Bull. If the reigning World Champions can continue building quick cars even after the 2026 regulations reset, the three-time champion might even stay till the end of 2028, when his current contract expires.

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