Following a Hungarian Grand Prix filled with radio complaints, Sky Sports Formula 1 lead commentator David Croft has questioned whether Max Verstappen’s camp is deliberately laying the groundwork for a Red Bull exit, potentially to join rival McLaren.

While Mercedes hit the ground running with the new wave of regulations in 2026, winning nine of the first 11 races of the season, Red Bull has found itself grappling with a temperamental set-up window. 

Verstappen finished second at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but his frustrated team radio messages have led Croft to question whether there are other motives afoot.

“Max is certainly not advertising for a job as a second-hand car salesman the way he was talking about his Red Bull, but is there something behind this?” Croft said during the Sky Sports F1 Show.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

“Is there a genuine issue, or does Max just want to put it out there that he’s not satisfied whatsoever with where he’s at now? From what I understand, the Red Bull is a decent car when it’s in perfect condition, but when there’s a slight discrepancy, a little bit of damage caused by a stone kicking up or the front wing has had some contact or whatever, it doesn’t take much to throw it out of kilter.

“And when you throw it out of kilter, then it becomes very, very hard to drive. So it’s kind of on a knife edge all the time. When it’s good, it’s very, very good. When it’s slightly bad, it’s ugly.

“But for Max to be complaining as much as he was constantly throughout that race, that makes me think that there are other motives afoot here. What they are? Who knows. Are Max’s representatives, working together as a team, trying to engineer a way out of Red Bull and maybe into McLaren? Could that happen? We’ve talked about it. We don’t know the answer.”

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– The Motorsport.com Team

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