to take a year off in 2026 to allow him to assess which team is the best bet in the sport’s new era.Verstappen’s current team Red Bull will make their own power unit for the first time, while the new rules have attracted Honda and Audi to the sport.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Chandhok gave his view on what Verstappen might decide to do. “Increasingly I think Max will stay at Red Bull for 2025. I think he will take 2026 off and have a year out. See what happens and then in 2027, he can go anywhere couldn’t he? He’s talked about his ambitions of doing le Mans and other forms. I think he will do something in 2026, have a year off, see who hits the ground running with the new regulations.
“His is a complicated one,” he said. “He wants a two-year deal at Mercedes. It seems like they’re offering a one-year deal with an option maybe for the second. If Verstappen comes knocking then he’s out.