Top 3 contenders to possibly be Max Verstappen's successors at Red Bull

The Max Verstappen-Red Bull partnership has lasted more than a decade. It was in 2014 when the Dutch driver was given an opportunity by the team to try out an F1 car for the first time. We're in 2025, and Max Verstappen has made his way through the ranks and become an F1 legend in the process.

Verstappen debuted in 2015. By 2016, he was at Red Bull, and by 2021, he had his first world title. Since then, there has been no going back, as the driver has been undefeated since.

Verstappen has won four titles on the trot and would love to win a fifth. At the moment, though, No. 5 looks unlikely. Red Bull has not provided him with a car that can help him compete at the front.

The partnership has lasted for a long time now, and while Max Verstappen continues to talk about seeing the rest of his career out at Red Bull, it's highly likely that a change could be in order. After a point, every driver wants change, and that tends to help as well.

Whether it is at the end of 2025, 2026, or 2028, the divorce between Max Verstappen and Red Bull seems inevitable. When that happens, the squad would be looking for a successor, who could possibly be the driver that ends up succeeding the Dutch driver at the team? Let's take a look.

Possible Max Verstappen successors at Red Bull

#1. George Russell

George Russell is a name that has impressed Red Bull boss Christian Horner, as he specifically mentioned last year. At the same time, this is arguably the choice that the Austrian team would take, should Max Verstappen call it a day at the end of the 2025 F1 season.

Whether there are talks between the Dutch driver and Toto Wolff is anyone's guess, but the way the Mercedes boss was so reluctant to criticize Verstappen's error in Barcelona was a strange look from a principal for a rival.

If Toto Wolff is able to convince Max Verstappen to make a move at the end of 2025, that would mean only one thing: George Russell is out of a contract. The British driver would be a straightforward swap for Red Bull, as it would get one of the top drivers to replace Max Verstappen.

#2. Charles Leclerc

This one might come as a major surprise, but if Max Verstappen opts to leave Red Bull at the end of the 2026 F1 season, Charles Leclerc might be the top candidate to take his place. Just like the Austrian team, which could potentially struggle with the power unit in 2026, the Italian team is in the same boat.

While Verstappen has been at Red Bull for more than a decade, Leclerc has been at Ferrari for a while as well. If in 2026 Ferrari is once again underperforming, then a move away from the Italian team seems destined for Leclerc. At the time, it would be all about finding the next team that would surge.

History says that one day or the other, Red Bull would dig itself out of a hole, and that could make the Milton Keynes squad a favorable option for Leclerc, who would be looking for some change in his career.

#3. Arvid Lindblad

The third scenario, and probably an enticing one, is going to be what happens if Max Verstappen is fine with sticking it out at Red Bull. The Dutch driver will be at the team for 2026. In that case, the likes of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have time to develop a young prospect and nurture him into something impressive.

Isack Hadjar is good, but he's not going to be the next big Red Bull driver. At that moment, in comes Arvid Lindblad. The 17-year-old is already a two-time race winner in F2 and one of the title contenders in his rookie season. What he's doing right now in the category has arguably been a more impressive set of results than Kimi Antonelli had at the same time in the series.

There's never going to be a next Max Verstappen, and that shouldn't be Red Bull's expectation. There is, however, the next world champion from the stable, and if the Dutch driver sticks around long enough, Arvid Lindblad would be the name that steps up to take over the mantle once Verstappen leaves.