Max Verstappen's ties with Red Bull are deep rooted, and yet two-time F1 world champion Mika Häkkinen doubts the Dutchman will end his career in Formula 1 with the bulls.
In Japan last time out, Verstappen conquered his 32nd F1 win and second world title with Red Bull Racing, the 25-year-old enjoying a dominate season with the latter.
Since his arrival among motorsport's elite, Verstappen has race exclusively for the Red Bull family, making his F1 debut with Toto Rosso in 2015 before transferring after just four races in 2016 season to RBR and winning on his debut in Spain with the Milton Keynes-based squad.
It's hard to imagine the double F1 world champion ever switching his allegiance to another outfit, but Häkkinen believes such an eventuality could happen when his current long-term deal with Red Bull runs out at the end of 2028.
"It’s great Max is committed and signs long contracts. It shows he trusts them," said Hakkinen in a Unibet video.
"But there is always that risk when key people leave, the car performance doesn’t match expectations, that’s when the driver starts to think, whether it’s time to change teams.
"I don’t think Max is going to stay with Red Bull for the rest of his career. But this is just my opinion.
"Historically, drivers have switched teams – despite having multiple championships – for different reasons, whether it’s money or just wanting to go somewhere else."
The need for a change of scenery might well inspire Verstappen in six years' time, with Ferrari or Mercedes as the two outfits that could likely lure the Dutchman away from his Red Bull family.
For Mercedes, hiring Verstappen would allow the German manufacturer to achieve would it failed to do in 2014, when it courted the then 16-year-old young charger only for Red Bull to snatch the latter from its clutches.
During Verstappen's European Formula 3 season with Dutch team Van Amersfoort Racing, one Gerhard Berger had vaunted the young charger's merits to Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda.
But Red Bull also pounced on the opportunity to secure the teenager's services.
"We talked to the Verstappens but then Gerhard Berger drew Lauda’s attention at Mercedes. Niki immediately jumped on the cart," remembered Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko, talking to Auto Motor und Sport.
"We then made him an offer directly at the race weekend in Spielberg and told him that he had to make a decision quickly."
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff and Jos Verstappen
Verstappen was offered his first FP1 outing with Toro Rosso at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix before making his Grand Prix debut with the teal five months later in Australia.
And over a year later, he was drafted in at RBR in Barcelona to replace Daniil Kvyat alongside Daniel Ricciardo.
"Kvyat was faster than Ricciardo in his first year at Red Bull in 2015," recalled Horner.
"In the second year, from the first day of testing, he got it in his head that there was a problem with the brakes.
"He dropped back in speed first, then there were accidents. Suddenly you felt the insecurity.
"We had to react."
And the rest as they say, is history!
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