Red Bull engineers left Max Verstappen feeling undervalued before Mercedes talks began

“Verstappen finds ways of extracting performance despite the car’s challenges, but that was one of the reasons he was getting frustrated last year – because Red Bull was giving him a tough car to drive and then he felt his performances were almost being taken for granted.”

The numbers back up Verstappen’s value to Red Bull. Since 2022, he has contributed 1,631 of their 2,380 points – nearly 70% of their total during that span.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Red Bull’s handling of Verstappen’s RB20 frustrations

Chris Medland, writing for RACER, pointed out how the declining performance of the RB20 had an impact on Verstappen’s view of his situation at Red Bull.

When asked if Red Bull’s cars are built specifically for Verstappen, Medland responded: “Red Bull doesn’t design the car around Max’s style – no team directly does that. They all build the quickest possible car they can, and try to make it as drivable as possible, but it’s only as quick as the driver can drive it.

“Verstappen finds ways of extracting performance despite the car’s challenges, but that was one of the reasons he was getting frustrated last year – because Red Bull was giving him a tough car to drive and then he felt his performances were almost being taken for granted.”

If Verstappen is feeling overlooked by his engineers, there are numbers to back up his frustration. Since 2022, he has contributed 1,631 of Red Bull’s 2,380 points during that span—nearly 70% of their total haul.

Max Verstappen’s future at Red Bull in doubt as Mercedes show interest ahead of 2026 F1 season

The upcoming 2026 F1 season will bring new regulations and see Red Bull developing their own engine through Red Bull Powertrains for the first time.

Reports have indicated that early tests suggest the RBPT engine may not be up to standard. This could push Verstappen to look elsewhere in pursuit of a fifth world title. Mercedes is currently seen as the frontrunner if he decides to move on.

However, Guenther Steiner has expressed some doubts about Mercedes’ new power unit. He noted that just because they nailed the regulations in 2014 doesn’t mean they’ll repeat that success in 2026.