What serious option does Max Verstappen have if he decides to walk away from Red Bull?

The Dutchman has once again become the centre of the driver market ahead of 2027. Mercedes remain the most persistent link, and Toto Wolff's admiration for Max is well known; Ferrari can never far from the conversation, while fresh speculation has suggested McLaren chief executive Zak Brown may already ahve held discussions with Team Verstappen.

Brown has publicly insisted he remains fully committed to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Nevertheless, paddock speculation continues to gather pace as Verstappen weighs whether Red Bull can deliver another championship-winning package under Formula 1's new regulations.

Former Grand Prix winner Herbert believes Verstappen would be making a mistake if he ignored the interest from rival teams: "I know there are these rumours about McLaren and doing a straight swap with Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen at Red Bull. But I'm sure it's ongoing with Mercedes at the same time too.

"I'm sure they're probably talking to Ferrari at the same time as well! It would be foolish of Max Verstappen and his team not to talk to those big teams because you've got to make sure that you're in a position, when those doors do open, that you're ready to jump."

However, Herbert is equally convinced Red Bull have done enough in recent weeks to remain firmly in contention for Verstappen's long-term future.

The former Stewart and Benetton driver pointed to the progress made with the RB22, which allowed Verstappen to challenge Mercedes throughout the Austrian Grand Prix weekend before finishing second after narrowly missing pole position.

Herbert ventured: "But is he ready to jump? Because if we actually look at what Red Bull have done even this season it’s been incredible job in a very short space of time. If we look at what he's done so far this year, then you look at Austria, they were pretty close to being on par with Mercedes.

"He was very close to getting that pole position, if he hadn't crashed. And then he showed his pace in the race as well. So, is Red Bull a place you totally disregard and say, 'I don't want to be here?' No, it isn’t. He's putting himself in a very strong position, because anybody would want him on their books. Red Bull have put themselves back in the frame in Max's eyes."

Herbert also highlighted the departure of Verstappen's long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, McLaren bound, as another factor: "It isn't just what Red Bull do, it's still the relationship with your engineer that matters. The prime example of how important that is, is with Lewis at Ferrari. Look how long that took before he got himself an engineer with whom he feels comfortable and believes and trusts what he says."

Among the many rumours circulating, McLaren has emerged as perhaps the most fascinating destination, despite Norris and Piastri both being under long-term contracts.

Herbert believes pairing Verstappen with Norris would create one of Formula 1's fiercest intra-team rivalries: "You'll have two world champions in Lando Norris and Max Verstappen locking horns at McLaren.

"Going into McLaren, Max would want to take control of his destiny and the reigns of Lando out of his hands. That's what Michael Schumacher did, that's what Ayrton Senna did in many respects, with Alain Prost. You've got to have that ability to go in there and grab hold of that team and take it for yourself," ventured the British mmotorsport veteran.

While Verstappen would undoubtedly arrive intent on becoming McLaren's undisputed leader, Herbert believes Norris has matured enough to withstand that challenge: "Lando is in a good position as well because he's always been an easy going, happy chap.

"In the last couple of years, Lando's matured massively and he is much more mature mentally. He'd be very aware that if Max were to come in, he'd stop at nothing. There would probably be a few fireworks that McLaren would have to control not dissimilar to that of Prost and Senna."

Despite the inevitable tension, Herbert feels both drivers would ultimately benefit: "I think it would only benefit McLaren and only benefit Lando and Max as well because they'd push each other, and being pushed by each other is always a positive thing.

"I think the synergy would work because as I said they do have a good relationship away from the circuit but respect for each other and think Lando is a much feistier competitor than he was a couple of years ago. It’s a nice headache for Zak Brown to have. Is it manageable? Yes. The respect between them is there on and off the track," reckoned Herbert.

If Verstappen were to leave, Herbert believes Oscar Piastri has the qualities Red Bull would need to rebuild around a new team leader: "Oscar Piastri would be a good number one driver for Red Bull. He has got that maturity. Maturity is a powerful thing.

"Everyone says he doesn't get rattled, although we did see signs of that last year. But he’s only human and there are always going to be those signs. Every single driver goes through it. You can't say that Michael Schumacher never went through it or Alain Prost. They've all had those difficult moments.

"But he would fit in very, well because his maturity is something that will be very beneficial. A team is always going be looking for a leader, someone who can take them to that next level and think Oscar is one of those that definitely could at Red Bull."

Whether Verstappen ultimately stays at Red Bull or goes is likely to depend on one question above all others: can Red Bull continue the progress shown in Austria and deliver a car capable of winning championships again?

If they can, the Dutchman may never need to make that phone call. If they cannot, virtually every leading team on the grid would be ready to answer it.
(Johnny Herbert was speaking to Vision4Sport, Formula 1 Hospitality Package specialists.)