Jenson Button believes Max Verstappen's manager, Raymond Vermuelen, is "right to be talking to other teams" in F1 and insists the Dutchman will have options.
The Dutchman is contracted to Red Bull until the end of the 2028 F1 season, but with the Milton Keynes-based team struggling to claw its way back to title-winning contention, the persistent speculation linking him to a move away is only growing louder.
For the past couple of years, rumours of a Mercedes switch have relented, but with Toto Wolff ruling his team out of the Verstappen sweepstakes, McLaren has emerged as the most touted destination for the 28-year-old.
Despite Zak Brown being adamant that he is happy with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri — and that they are happy in return — the reports have not abated, and now, the four-time F1 drivers' champion can trigger an exit clause in his Red Bull deal that will release him for 2027.
The precarious situation at the Laurent Mekies-led team is not helped by the inconsistent performance of the RB22, or the fresh concerns surrounding its novel rear wing, which Verstappen described as "super dangerous" at Silverstone after two related accidents in two rounds.
This, coupled with the continued exodus of high-profile names — including Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, who is joining McLaren — has left Red Bull fighting to retain its star asset.
"I think the team are massively under pressure to keep Max," Button said on Sky Sports F1 before the grand prix.
"With the performance they’ve had, and the amount of people that have been leaving the team, the people that Max had surrounded himself with are all off, so it's a very strange atmosphere for him."
Therefore, in Button's eyes, Vermuelen is correct in seeking out alternatives, even though the only plausible landing spots are locked into contracts with their current drivers.
"His manager is right to be talking to other teams, and I’m sure there's going to be a couple of possibilities," the 2009 F1 drivers' champion added.
"Everyone's under contract, but who knows if that's worth much?"
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