Verstappen’s contract runs until 2028, but friction between senior figures behind the scenes at Red Bull has sparked the possibility of a premature exit. A break clause tied to the future of his long-serving mentor, Helmut Marko, would reportedly allow the Dutchman to leave before the end of his deal.
Schumacher has shed light on Red Bull’s contingency planning, and he recently told Sky Germany that Horner has ‘big intentions’ to lure Alonso from Aston if Verstappen moves on.
“The team is thinking about an alternative, and there are now completely new rumours,” he said. “Christian Horner has always been a very, very big fan of Fernando Alonso.
“Apparently there are big intentions in the background to bring him into the cockpit next year to have another strong driver if Max Verstappen leaves the team. If Alonso were to get to Red Bull at the end of his career, and in a car with which he can win, he would obviously want that.
“You saw what Alonso did again at the weekend, how fast he was, how he prevented George Russell from overtaking him, I think he knows what he wants and he would fit in well.”
While Alonso acquitted himself well at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, Verstappen had a weekend to forget. Retiring his car for the first time in two years, the way was paved for Carlos Sainz to clinch an impressive victory and for Sergio Perez to narrow the gap at the top of the Drivers’ Championship.
If Verstappen were to leave Red Bull, Mercedes has been widely touted as his next destination. Toto Wolff has been spotted in conversation with the reigning triple world champion’s father, Jos, several times in recent weeks, and the Silver Arrows team principal admitted that any F1 outfit would do ‘handstands’ to nab the Red Bull star.
On the possibility of a groundbreaking switch, Schumacher added: “Max Verstappen speaks German, and therefore Mercedes is a very, very good alternative for him. And he would also fit in well, especially his personality.
“But it’s not that far yet. And by the way, theoretically he first has to get out of the contract. Helmut Marko could of course do that too, because his contract is basically linked to Max Verstappen.”