1996 Formula One World Champion Damon Hill believes Max Burstappen should consider taking Sabbatical if Red Bull performance does not improve.
Verstappen’s F1 Future has been a hot topic ever since Helmut Marco raised concerns that Red Bull could lose a star driver if his team’s performance on the track does not improve.
Red Bull has been consistently performed by McLaren last year.
This means that Verstappen is unlikely to win the fifth consecutive F1 driver title this year.
Verstappen is believed to have exit clauses in F1 contracts linked to Red Bull’s performance.
As a result, there is widespread speculation that Verstappen could make a switch to either Mercedes or Aston Martin.
Despite showing interest in Verstappen last year, Toto Wolff claims to be happy with the current driver lineup.
Aston Martin has Fernando Alonso and Lance under lockdown in 2026.
Even if they could offer Verstappen an extraordinary salary-wise contract, their on-track performance alone is not too optimistic about Verstappen.
Hill places emphasis on Verstappen’s future
One possibility of Verstappen is to take sabbatical.
Another factor in the play is the recent birth of her daughter Lily.
A year away from the sport, Verstappen can spend time with her daughter and measure which teams are performing best in 2026.
In 2026 we are looking at introducing a whole new engine and very different chassis rules. This can shake up the order of competition.
Expressing Verstappen’s views on F1 Future, Hill said on the BBC’s Checkered Flag Podcast:
“So there are clauses in the contract. If there is a performance clause and it doesn’t match the performance clause, it’s clear that he’s not offering less than 100%, honestly.
“If they don’t give him that, he can go where he wants, so Red Bull is under pressure.
“Where can he go? I don’t know. George is on the signing crisis, they say Mercedes again, and that’s what it was blocked. I don’t know.
“I think he can do it. It might be wise when you can see how the wind blows after these new regulations change.
“He’s young, he won four world championships and how many races he won.
“No one knows what’s on the other side of the end of this season. What’s going to happen?
“He could sit down next year, OK, I can see how to go in the future for the next 10 years.
