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Michael Schumacher or Ayrton Senna? Not even Max Verstappen would have realized by now that the next step of his F1 career could mirror a trajectory and approach the two former legends took in their careers. The Dutch driver is in a peculiar situation where he's already established himself on the grid as the best talent. That being said, he's also in a precarious situation where his future is uncertain.
The driver is on a long-term contract with Red Bull until 2028. With that being said, the contract has far too many exit clauses that put him in a situation where he can leave the team if something better comes up.
When the contract was signed, many would have thought that Verstappen would continue to be a part of the team until the expiry of his contract. Red Bull at the time was the benchmark in F1 with the best overall package. Things don't look as good a couple of years into the contract.
The competition has caught and overhauled Red Bull and Max Verstappen is fighting off rearguard action from Lando Norris in the championship. What's worse is that the Austrian unit is going through a major overhaul. It has seen plenty of its key personnel leave the team, with Rob Marshal, Jonathan Wheatley, and Adrian Newey being some of the more notable ones.
At this stage, Verstappen is set to be a part of the Red Bull squad for 2025. Beyond that, however, there is no clarity. In front of the Dutch driver, there are different approaches that he could pursue in his career, and these approaches could ultimately end up mirroring what Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna did in their careers.
Before we delve deeper into this, let's look at Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher's approach to an F1 career.
The Ayrton Senna approach
The Ayrton Senna approach is essential for the Brazilian F1 legend who took control of his career and charted his path. He debuted in the sport in 1984 with Toleman, and by 1988 he was in the best car on the grid (McLaren). During his time with the British team, the driver made his name in the sport, and his popularity grew.
By 1991, however, McLaren's performance started to decline. The team lost the Honda engine, which had been a major support, and at the same time, Williams surged to the front. From 1992 onwards, Senna decided that the way he wanted to approach his career was quite simple. He would try to position himself in the fastest car on the grid and then achieve success through that. This approach even saw him offer his services to Williams for free during this period where the Brazilian would drive for the team without charging anything.
By 1994, Senna had maneuvered himself into a position where he was driving for Williams. The untimely death shook the sport, but it became clear in the coming years that the approach would have gotten him multiple titles. In essence, the approach was finding yourself in the best car on the grid and using that to achieve success.
The Michael Schumacher approach
Michael Schumacher, on his part, had a different approach to his career. He debuted in 1991 and won his first title in 1994. By 1995, when he was already a two-time world champion, he was at a crossroads in his career. He was a part of a team that didn't inspire confidence in sustained progress.
Schumacher had a choice to make including the prospect of either going to Williams, which had the fastest car on the grid at the time, or building something himself. At the time he was in discussion with both McLaren and Ferrari, two iconic teams of the sport, but both were in a spot of bother at the time.
Finally, Schumacher decided to take an alternative approach to what Ayrton Senna had done in his career. He talked to Ferrari and decided to grow, build, and win with the team. This process meant that he moved to the Italian squad in 1996 to be a part of the revival of the Scuderia.
While the revival took four years of hard work and toil, with Michael Schumacher winning with the team in 2000, it also saw the beginning of one of the most dominant eras in F1. Ferrari dominated for five consecutive years with the German and became the most iconic name in the sport.
How does this relate to Max Verstappen?
This brings us to Max Verstappen. The young Dutch driver is in a position similar to what Ayrton Senna was at the end of 1991 or Michael Schumacher was at the end of 1995. He's established himself as the best on the grid, achieved decent success, and is not entirely sure what the future holds.
Here are the two approaches in front of Verstappen and how they could shape the next phase of his career.
The Michael Schumacher approach
If Max Verstappen takes the Michael Schumacher approach, then he has three teams that he can choose from:
- Red Bull
- Mercedes
- Aston Martin
What Verstappen has to do in that case is pick either of these three teams as his next home from 2026 onwards. The reason why it's similar to what Schumacher did is because in this case, Verstappen is picking a new home without conclusive proof of how good the car will be.
In 2026, we have the new regulations, and more often than not, it stirs the pot and throws the formbook out of the window. The decision will echo what Schumacher did, where he decided he trusts the team and its long-term prospects irrespective of the car in his immediate future.
The Ayrton Senna approach
The second option for Max Verstappen is the Ayrton Senna approach. In this approach, the Dutch driver does not take the call about what his future will be for 2026.
Since the new regulations mean that the formbook could be flipped on its head, it would be risky to end up on a team with a big deficit. On the contrary, Verstappen could wait for the beginning of the 2026 F1 season to assess where the competition is and which team has the headstart.
Based on that, the Dutch driver would position his next move, which could be anything, including a move to stay with Red Bull if the car continues to be competitive.
Conclusion
Max Verstappen is more or less likely to be a four-time world champion by the time the 2024 F1 season ends. The next phase of his career will be interesting because it does show how he wants to approach the sport. Whether that is by using the Ayrton Senna approach where he finds the best possible car on the grid or the Michael Schumacher approach where he puts his trust in a team and builds it around him is something that would be worth keeping an eye on.
It is, however, safe to say that whatever it is, Verstappen will still go down as one of the best drivers in F1 history after what he's already accomplished in the sport.
