If Max Verstappen is to ever leave Red Bull in the future, one leading pundit has suggested he could be tempted to join Williams.

Verstappen is under contract with the Red Bull Racing team until the end of the F1 2028 season, but speculation has suggested the Dutch driver could have his head turned by a rival team if the Milton Keynes-based team suffers a performance slump.

Marc Priestley: Maybe Williams is an opportunity for Max Verstappen

Verstappen’s name was consistently linked with the Mercedes F1 team during a period of uncertainty during the F1 2024 season, with team boss Toto Wolff making it very clear that the then-three-time F1 World Champion would be the ideal successor for the departing Lewis Hamilton.

While those rumours eventually calmed down as Verstappen distanced himself from the speculation and Mercedes opted for rookie driver Kimi Antonelli for next season, the possibility of a change of environment for Verstappen in the future can’t be ruled out – particularly with a major change in regulations on the way for 2026.

Both the chassis and power unit regulations will be revamped, leading to what is likely to be a huge upheaval in the competitive order. Red Bull, in particular, faces a stern challenge to remain competitive as, unlike Mercedes and Ferrari, it is rolling out a brand-new power unit of its own design for the very first time – Red Bull Powertrains may well nail the challenge, but lacks the experience of rival manufacturers.

If Verstappen does fancy a change of environment and a fresh challenge in F1, another contender for his signature could be Aston Martin. The Silverstone-based squad has secured the services of Adrian Newey, the designer of Verstappen’s title-winning machines in recent years, ahead of the F1 2026 regulation changes, while they will also switch to the Honda power unit that has powered Verstappen to so much success.

But another contender could be Williams, believes former McLaren F1 mechanic turned pundit Marc Priestley. Under James Vowles as team boss and enjoying the investment of US owners Dorilton Capital, Williams is slowly but surely evolving into a team better equipped to deal with the demands of modern F1.

Mired at the back of the grid just a few years ago, Williams is now an established midfield runner and could end up on a similar trajectory to fellow Mercedes customer McLaren – who just won the Constructors’ Championship for the first time in 26 years.

“The drivers market is so complicated at the moment because everyone is basing their move on the regulation changes in 2026,” Priestley told Casino Uden Rofus.

“You have to choose the team you think will produce the best car, it could be a team like Williams. It’s a tough call.

“If you’re Max Verstappen, you’d look at McLaren but they have two young drivers for years to come, Mercedes are not at the top at the moment but everyone knows they’re a solid team and very good operators.

“We also know Verstappen has had a lot of talks with Mercedes. You could also look at Williams who, under the leadership of James Vowles, are building heavily towards 2026 with big expectations. I know for a fact they expect to compete right at the top with the best teams on the grid, maybe it’s an opportunity for Verstappen.”

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But, if Red Bull does fall away in 2026 and Verstappen finds himself unable to challenge for race victories or the championship due to the equipment under him, Priestley reckons retirement may prove too tempting for the Dutch driver to ignore.

“Max Verstappen could easily retire in the next few years,” he said.

“After years of winning continuously, having a slight drought of trophies could make you lose interest in the sport.

“If Red Bull suddenly drop to a mid-table team in 2026, Verstappen will start asking himself questions. I can see him hang up his boots then. But, maybe he’ll see a decline at Red Bull before 2026 and join a new team ahead of the regulation changes, like Lewis Hamilton has done by joining Ferrari. It’s like any of us changing jobs, it’s exciting at the beginning.

“If Verstappen changes team and it goes well, he’ll continue on winning, but if he’s not winning as much as he usually does, I can 100 percent see him leaving the sport earlier than most would expect.”