Ralf Schumacher has said he thinks Max Verstappen will soon leave Red Bull.
Verstappen has often been linked with leaving the Milton Keynes team after their form dropped over the past year.
Many believe Mercedes could be his next team, especially with new technical rules coming in next year.
Red Bull has already made a big change, firing Christian Horner as team principal partway through this season.
On the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, Schumacher said he thinks Verstappen will be the next to leave.
“Well, what can I say? No one in Salzburg will like to hear this, but things don’t look good for Red Bull right now,” he said.
“That means Max Verstappen will have to find a new team if he wants to win again soon.
“At least, that’s what I think, especially since new engines are coming and anything could happen.”
Schumacher supports the idea of Verstappen moving to Mercedes but thinks it will be hard for him to leave Red Bull.
“I really think he will go to Mercedes, but it won’t be easy for him,” he said.
“He clearly feels loyal to Red Bull. We have talked about it before, he owes them a lot.
“But his management and his father, who knows F1 well, already have a plan. So I think it will be Mercedes.”
