MAX VERSTAPPEN could quit Red Bull and seal a shock move to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.
There is set to be a huge shake-up on the grid at the end of the year with the seven-time world champion joining Ferrari.
GettyMax Verstappen could leave Red Bull amid suggestions Helmut Marko may depart[/caption]
GettyThere will be a space at Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton going to Ferrari[/caption]
Verstappen still has five years to run on his £43million-a-year contract at Red Bull – but he could depart with the team in crisis.
The Dutchman is fuming over suggestions that Helmut Marko could be suspended amid the fallout from the Christian Horner investigation.
Marko, who is a team adviser at Red Bull, will meet chief Oliver Mintzlaff at Saturday’s Saudi Grand Prix.
Should he leave, there are rumours it will upset Verstappen and potentially even trigger a break clause in his contract.
It could, therefore, pave the way for him to fill the space left by Hamilton at Mercedes.
Verstappen has already been angered by Marko’s possible departure, saying: “I am loyal to Helmut.
“He is a big and important part in my decision making and important he stays within the team including everyone else.
“It is important we keep people together because if an important pillar falls away, that is not good for my career as well.
“So for me, Helmut has to stay. He has built this team with [Red Bull co-founder] Dietrich Mateschitz from day one and been loyal.
“You need to give the man respect for what he has done and that comes back to loyalty and integrity and is important to why he stays part of the team.”
Meanwhile, chiefs at Red Bull’s HQ continue to wade through the mess after Horner was cleared of inappropriate behaviour after allegations from a female employee.
He was then subject of a smear campaign after an anonymous email leaked a series of WhatsApp conversations claiming to be evidence of the internal report.
There is also an ongoing feud between Horner and Verstappen’s father Jos after the duo were involved in a heated argument at the Bahrain GP last weekend.
Despite rising tensions, Horner’s wife Geri Halliwell has stood by him and she is again expected at the Grand Prix in Jeddah.