Karun Chandhok believes Max Verstappen will take a year out from Formula One in 2026 before joining Ferrari or Mercedes the following season. The Dutchman remains tied down to his current team until the end of 2028 but has been linked with a move elsewhere in recent months.
Verstappen has been openly courted by Mercedes, with Toto Wolff making no secret of his desire to bring the 26-year-old to Brackley. The news of Adrian Newey’s impending departure from Red Bull has also fuelled rumours that Verstappen could follow suit before his contract is due to expire.
Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Chandhok suggested that Verstappen could decide to walk away from the sport in 2026 in a potential boost to Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of winning a record-breaking eighth title.
He said: “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 could go anywhere, couldn’t he? He will go off, and he’s talked about having ambitions of doing Le Mans and other forms of racing, so I think he’ll do something in 2026, have a year off from F1, see who hits the ground running with the new regs.
“Lewis [Hamilton] would have done his two years at Ferrari, 2025, 2026, he could go to Ferrari in 2027, he could go to Mercedes in 2027, he could go back to Red Bull in 2027. I think that could happen.”
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